Madonna has opened up about the collapse of her much-talked-about biopic, which was set to star actress Julia Garner. The singer, in her latest interview, revealed that budget issues ultimately killed the ambitious project despite years of development.
Madonna on budget issues
The pop icon got candid in a chat with Interview Magazine and revealed details behind her film and subsequent web series getting shelved. “I was supposed to make a movie about my life,” Madonna told the magazine, and revealed that she “worked on my script for two years and spent two years at Universal Studios with the line producers doing budgeting and casting.”According to the singer, the film required a larger budget than the studio was willing to approve. She said, “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 on trying to bring down budget
According to the star, the production house “couldn’t get their heads around” the budget required to make a biopic that she envisioned. This even prompted her to look for ways to reduce the price tag by finding “a way to make it for less money in Serbia.”“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,” Madonna added.
Madonna on changing biopic from film to web series
After the film adaptation stalled, Madonna said discussions began about reimagining the project as a Netflix series. However, recalling the hurdles that the OTT format later created, she explained, “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.“
Madonna on her music career
The singer revealed that she spent nearly a year attempting to adapt the project into a television series but ultimately abandoned those plans as well. “That’s just the way it goes…” She said and went on to add, “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. 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.'”The biopic first entered development in 2020 and was reportedly set to be titled ‘Who’s That Girl’. Madonna was attached to direct and co-write the film herself, with actress Julia Garner cast to play the music legend.While the biopic was intended to be released as a film, it was later announced as a Netflix series, although few updates have emerged since.
Madonna releases short film
Meanwhile, Madonna has remained busy with music ventures. The singer made waves this month with Confessions II. To celebrate the upcoming release, Madonna surprised fans with the release of a short film featuring appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Moss, Julia Garner, Shygirl, Richard E. Grant, Honey Dijon and several other notable names.