Deadline.com reports that the film, which is simply titled "Joplin," will be directed by Sean Durkin ("Martha Marcy May Marlene").
Arianda will do her own singing in the film, which will feature 21 of the late singer's tunes. The motion picture, according to Deadline.com, will look "back on the final six months of the singer's life with flashbacks to her early career."
Film producer Peter Newman said he and his backing partners were impressed by Arianda's performance in Broadway's Venus. "I’ve never in my life seen an actress walk on a stage and convey the duality of vulnerability with overheated sexuality, which is what Janis was all about," Newman told Deadline.com.
Newman will produce the motion picture with Durkin's partners at Borderline Films as well as Uncommon Productions, Interal and Seven Hills Productions.
Production on "Joplin" is scheduled to begin early next year.
Arianda has previously been seen on screen in "Midnight in Paris" and "Win Win."