A Britney Spears comeback is the kind of opportunity that has music-industry executives seeing dollar signs. But Ms. Spears, who has spent years battling for control over her life, has given few signs that she is ready to return to the stage or recording studio anytime soon.
The question of what Ms. Spears wants hangs over a hearing scheduled Wednesday, where a probate court will weigh the pop superstar’s petition to remove her father from the unusual conservatorship that has ruled her personal life and finances for the past 13 years. That court-approved legal arrangement, which governs everything from her daily moves to whether she can marry, has led to a public outcry that has, in turn, fueled renewed interest in the future of Ms. Spears’s career.