January 25, 2023
Reports: Madonna Biopic No Longer Going Forward
Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.
The Madonna biopic that Madge herself was planning to direct has stalled out for now, sources say, because the Material Girl is focused on her upcoming global tour.
"Insiders familiar with Madonna said her sole focus Is the tour," word of which dropped last week, "but she remains committed to making a film about her life one day," Variety reported.
There might be more to the story, though. The Hollywood Reporter dished that "multiple sources say the movie actually was put in turnaround late last year, before the announcement of the tour."
The studio behind the film, Universal, has not commented, THR added.
"The project, which was first announced in 2020, was going to chronicle the singer's career, which spans almost four decades and has gone far beyond music as she has made forays into art, movies, fashion and charity," THR went on to say.
The superstar's career has been long enough and diverse enough that getting a script in order proved a massive challenge. "None of the many drafts of the scripts was ever under 180 pages, according to one source," THR relayed. "That led to conversations about perhaps splitting the movie into two or perhaps making it into an event miniseries."
One source told the entertainment outlet: "You have 40 years of success, and it's very hard to put that into one movie."
The casting of the film was also a strenuous undertaking, with would-be leading ladies reportedly attending a "Madonna boot camp" overseen, in part, by Madge herself.
"According to sources at the time, the hopefuls participated in intense – sometimes up to 11-hour-a-day – choreography sessions with Madonna's choreographer, after which there were choreography sessions with Madonna, herself," THR recalled. "Callbacks consisted of readings with Madonna, as well as singing auditions with the superstar."
The part eventually went to "Ozark" and "Inventing Anna" star Julia Garner – though all bets are off as to whether that will remain true if and when the project is resurrected.
Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.
