Back in 2022, it was announced that Madonna’s life story would make its way onto the big screen through a biopic that she would co-write and direct herself. Four years later, the project has officially been scrapped. The singer has now revealed what went wrong behind the scenes and addressed her fallout with Universal Pictures, the studio that was backing the film.
Madonna reveals
In a chat with Interview magazine, Madonna revealed that a falling out with Universal Pictures is the reason her movie biopic never went into production.
Madonna said, “I was supposed to make a movie about my life. I worked on my script for two years and spent two years at Universal Studios with the line producers doing budgeting and casting. We had a falling out, me and Universal, regarding budget because I needed – I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget. You know what I mean?”
Madonna claimed that Universal Pictures “couldn’t get their heads around” the hefty budget needed to do justice to her life story. In a bid to keep the project alive, the singer even explored ways to cut costs, including relocating the production to Serbia to make the film on a smaller budget.
The Material Girl hitmaker said she “was in limbo” when the biopic plans fell apart, but there was a glimmer of hope when Netflix reached out about making a limited series based on her life.
The singer added, “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. But anyway, I was in limbo when that fell apart, and then Netflix reached out to make a series. 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. Don’t ask. That’s just the way it goes.”
The studio has not reacted to Madonna’s claims yet.
More about the biopic
Universal Pictures won a multi-studio auction in 2021 to make a film about Madonna’s life. Screenwriters such as Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson were attached to the film over the years, while Julia Garner was roped in to essay the role of the singer.
In April, Madonna and Julia filmed scenes for Apple TV’s The Studio Season 2 that poked fun at the canceled biopic. They were seen recreating the 1984 Like a Virgin music video on a gondola in Venice.
In 2025, Deadline reported that Madonna was teaming up with Shawn Levy for a limited bioseries at Netflix. Julia is not attached to this project. For now, Madonna is focused on her upcoming 15th studio album, Confessions II, which will come out on July 3.