Pop
Madonna explains why she abandoned plans for her biopic
Madonna says she abandoned her long‑planned biopic after a two‑year development process collapsed over budget disagreements with Universal and a later attempt to rework the project as a Netflix series also stalled.
Madonna has confirmed she stepped away from her planned biopic after budget disagreements brought the project to a halt.
The production, which was to be called Who’s That Girl, was expected to star Inventing Anna actress Julia Garner, 32, as the 67-year-old music legend.
The Like a Prayer singer told Interview magazine she had spent two years developing the script and preparing the film at Universal Studios.
She said: “I worked on my script for two years and spent two years at Universal Studios with the line producers doing budgeting and casting."
The Hung Up hitmaker explained that the project stalled when she and the studio could not agree on the scale required to tell her story.
She said: “We had a falling out, me and Universal, regarding budget because I needed [more money put into it]. I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget. You know what I mean? It’s not going to be a [smaller, independent film].”
Madonna added that the studio questioned whether she would commit to filming overseas.
She said: “Maybe they just didn’t believe in me. One of their first reactions was, ‘We don’t believe you’d stay in Serbia more than four days.’ And I said, ‘Did you read the script?’ My whole life has been survival. I’m not going there for a holiday.”
After the film collapsed, the Vogue star said she was approached about adapting her story for television.
She said: “I was in limbo when that fell apart, and then Netflix reached out to make a series."
However, she explained that she could not use the script she had written unless she bought it back from Universal.
She said: “That was a whole other long process, because I couldn’t use the script I had with Universal unless I bought it from them for an extortionist’s price, even though I wrote it.”
The Queen of Pop said the search for a showrunner also proved lengthy.
She said: “That’s just the way it goes… You have to meet a lot of writers and find the right showrunner, and I couldn’t find one. This went on for another eight or nine months.”
Reflecting on the delays, Madonna said she remained focused on continuing her creative work.
She added: “I was like, ‘Good thing I have another job because I need to work, I need to create. I need to do what I was put on this earth to do.’”
Madonna is currently preparing for the release of her upcoming album Confessions II, due July 3.
