Madonna has opened up about the failure of her much-hyped biopic, which was set to star actress Julia Garner. The singer revealed in a recent interview that despite years of development, budget issues ultimately killed the ambitious project.
Madonna talks budget
The pop icon candidly revealed the details behind the shelving of her movie and subsequent web series in an interview with Interview magazine. “I was supposed to make a movie about my life,” Madonna told the magazine, revealing that she “worked on my script for two years and spent two years with producers at Universal Studios on the budget and casting.”According to the singer, the film required more budget than the studio was willing to approve. She said: “I had a fight with Universal over the budget because I needed – I lived an extraordinary life. I had a rich life, so I needed a big budget. You know what I mean?”
Madonna tries to lower budget
The star said the production company “couldn’t understand” the budget needed to make the biopic she envisioned. It even prompted her to look for “a way to make money in Serbia for less” to lower her prices.“Maybe they just didn’t believe me. One of their first reactions was, ‘We don’t believe you’re going to stay in Serbia for more than four days.’ I said, ‘Have you read the script?’ “My whole life is about survival. I’m not going there on vacation,” Madonna added.
Madonna on changing biopic from movie 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 explains, “I was stuck when that model collapsed, and then Netflix reached out and made a series. That was a whole other long process because I couldn’t use the script I had at Universal unless I bought it from them at extortionate prices, even though it was written by me.“
Madonna talks about her music career
The singer revealed that she spent nearly a year trying to adapt the project into a TV series, but ultimately scrapped those plans as well. “Here’s the thing…” she said, before adding, “You have to meet with a lot of writers and find the right producer, and I couldn’t find one. And that 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 titled “Who’s That Girl?” Madonna will direct and co-write the film, with actress Julia Garner set to play the music legend.While the biopic was originally intended to be released as a movie, it was later announced that it would be launched as a Netflix series, although there have been few updates since.
Madonna releases short film
Meanwhile, Madonna remains busy with her music career. The singer made a splash this month with “Confessions II.” To celebrate the upcoming film, Madonna surprised fans by releasing a short film starring Sabrina Carpenter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Moss, Julia Garner, Shygirl, Richard E. Grant, Honey Dijon and several other big names.
