If you're hoping for a Madonna biopic anytime soon, you'll have to keep dreaming.
The untitled biopic, which was slated to be directed by the Queen of Pop herself, is no longer in development according to an exclusive report by Variety.
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Speculation on the fate of the film began to circulate following the announcement of Madonna's massive career-spanning tour last week. According to insiders, the film has been shelved so she can completely focus on the tour, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of something happening down the line.
One of the script drafts was made with Diablo Cody, which Madonna documented on her Instagram in 2020. Erin Cressida Wilson eventually took a second stab at it.
As for who was chosen to take on the daunting role of an American icon, award-winning actress Julia Garner was reportedly chosen. Among the other hopefuls included Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, Odessa Young and Bebe Rexha. According to sources, the actresses went through strenuous training in a singing and dancing bootcamp where they faced up to 11-hour days with Madonna's choreographer, sometimes joining the pop star herself for some sessions. They also sang and joined table reads with her.
Among other exciting details of the biopic were executive producers Sara Zambreno and longtime manager Guy Oseary. The film would have also reunited Madonna with Amy Pascal, who was responsible for the development of 1992's A League of Their Own.
According to The Hollywood Reporter,, development was always challenging with one source reporting that none of the drafts were under 180 pages, sparking discussions of splitting the story into two films or developing a miniseries instead.
For now, we are comforted by the fact that Madonna has shown no sign of slowing down. Several dates on her upcoming tour sold out in minutes, so she added extra dates to select cities. We will be front row.
Photo courtesy of David Benthal/BFA