Madonna has chosen to place her biopic on the back burner. According to a report from Variety, the biopic is no longer in development at Universal Pictures and the reason is that the Queen of Pop is currently busy with her music and has decided to give it all of her attention. This new development seems to be a matter of delay and doesn’t necessarily spell the end for the biopic as the American Life crooner has given her word that she will someday tell her story to the world by herself, it’s just not going to come as early as we would’ve loved.
The sexagenarian pop star recently announced that she would be embarking on a new world tour which will mark her 12th world tour taking her across 40 cities. Fans are already hyped up about it as tickets have already sold out in major cities including New York, London, and Paris. It’s a win-win situation for her fans who’ve since been anticipating the biopic as more adventure on the musical scene means that the pop icon will have fresh details to include in the film, but it’s not even like she needs any more, Madonna recently revealed her struggles with curating her storied career to fit a standard movie run-time, likening the feeling of having to cut out some parts of her story to “hacking off my limbs.” At least, she now gets to take a breather and will maybe gain a fresh perspective on how to concisely approach the biopic after she hangs up the mic on the forthcoming tour.
Universal Films announced in 2020 that the biopic had gone into early development and brought on Madonna as co-writer and director. The media house had previously been working on a different film about the pop star titled Blonde Ambition with Elyse Hollander writing the screenplay, and though Hollander‘s script was well-received by industry executives, Madonna was simply not pleased and was hesitant to give her blessing, thus the film was shelved. Of being the one to co-write and direct her own biopic, Madonna told Variety:
“I’ve had an extraordinary life, I must make an extraordinary film. It was also a preemptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make movies about me. Mostly misogynistic men. So I put my foot in the door and said, ‘No one’s going to tell my story but me.”
Oscar winner Diablo Cody was selected to co-write the script with Madonna. Casting for roles had also begun with Ozark star, Julia Garner selected to play the pop icon following a grueling auditioning process that included 11 hours of intense choreography and singing sessions with Madonna coordinating the process herself. Stars vying for the role included Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, and Odessa Young, but it was Garner who satisfied the Queen the most. Amy Pascal who previously worked with Madonna on A League of Their Own (1982) was also brought on board as a producer.
It isn’t clear how this latest change will alter the progress made so far, but hopefully, the coming weeks can reveal more details. For now, go grab your tickets and get ready to party with the undisputed Queen of Pop.
via Collider