Madonna Biopic Under Development Once More

Madonna’s biopic is making its way back to development, almost a year and a half after it was initially put on hold.

The film, which is set to capture Madonna’s lengthy and illustrious career, was originally parked at Universal Pictures. However, plans fell apart in January 2023. Enthusiasts of the pop icon might be excited to hear of its revival.

Recently, Madonna took to Instagram to share a compilation of photos. The photos depict her working diligently on a typewriter surrounded by an assortment of papers. A glimpse of the title “Who’s That Girl” can be seen on what appears to be the first page of a script, a nod to her 1987 hit song and film sharing the same name.

In another part of the showcased script, a note reading “rewrites by Madonna and ECW” catches the eye. This seemingly refers to Erin Cressida Wilson, renowned for her work on “Secretary.” Wilson came onboard the project after Diablo Cody made an exit. Initially, Amy Pascal was slated to produce the biopic.

Madonna captioned her post, “I Need A-lot of Bandz to make this………..OKAY. (Story of my life.)” expressing the magnitude of resources required for the project.

Previously, when the biopic project was shelved, a source told The Hollywood Reporter that the film’s development faced numerous complications. The scripts, often running over 180 pages, presented a major hurdle. Discussions of splitting the lengthy screenplay into two movies or converting it into a miniseries were on the table but ultimately didn’t materialize.

“It’s challenging to encapsulate 40 years of success into a single film,” the source mentioned.

Madonna was originally set to direct the biopic. Julia Garner emerged as the leading candidate to portray the celebrated artist. Garner was chosen after an extensive audition process that saw stars like Florence Pugh, Odessa Young, and Alexa Demie competing for the role. The candidates underwent rigorous choreography sessions lasting up to 11 hours with Madonna’s choreographer and Madonna herself.

At this point, it remains uncertain if Universal Pictures is still involved with the project.

The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to both Universal Pictures and representatives for Madonna to get further details.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Instagram