Universal Pictures shelves Julia Garner-starring Madonna biopic as singer gears up for world tour
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The eagerly awaited Madonna biography has been postponed indefinitely. The movie is no longer in development at Universal Pictures. The highly anticipated self-directed Madonna biopic has reportedly been scrapped as the singer is about to go on a world tour. Julia Garner was chosen to portray the pop icon through a difficult boot camp-style audition process.
Following Madonna's announcement of a career-spanning world tour last week, which quickly sold out dates in New York, London, Paris, and other cities, speculation about the movie's future arose. Insiders who know Madonna well claim that while the tour is currently her only priority, she is still determined to one day produce a movie about her life, as per Variety.
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Producer Amy Pascal, whose namesake production firm is based on the Universal lot, and chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Donna Langley presented the film to the studio. Guy Oseary, a former manager of Madonna, and Sara Zambreno were expected to executive produce. Madonna and Pascal, who collaborated on the 1982 baseball cult masterpiece 'A League of Their Own', would have been reunited on the project.
Although the movie was announced in 2020, production continued until the end of 2022. Two script concepts featuring significant portions of Madonna's creative and personal life were produced. An initial draft was created with Diablo Cody, an Oscar winner, while the second-pass taker was Erin Cressida Wilson ('Secretary', 'The Girl on the Train'). The news that Emmy and Golden Globe winner Garner had been cast in the role of the pop legend was first reported by Variety last June. It came after a testing week-long bake-off between a group of young actors who attended a singing and dancing boot camp, including Florence Pugh, 'Euphoria' star Alexa Demie, Odessa Young, and Bebe Rexha.
It's unclear how the most recent adjustment will affect the progress made thus far, but maybe the upcoming weeks will provide more information. For the time being, go get your tickets and get ready to celebrate with the uncontested Pop Queen.
