Madonna has revealed that a 'falling out' with Universal Pictures over budget disagreements led to the cancellation of her long-planned biopic.
The Grammy-winning singer, known for hits including 'Material Girl' and 'Like a Virgin', was co-writing and set to direct the film, with Emmy-winning actress Julia Garner attached to star. Screenwriters Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson were also involved in the project.
According to insiders, the film would have followed Madonna from her early life in Michigan through her rise in New York City during the 1980s, culminating in the release of her 1998 album Ray of Light.
Madonna Reveals Why Her Biopic Was Scrapped
'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,' Madonna told Interview magazine.
The Queen of Pop added that, although she found a way to make the film for less money, she did not believe the studio supported the idea.
'They couldn't get their heads around it. I found a way to make it for less money in Serbia, but I don't think they were into the idea of—I don't know. 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,' she said.
Could've Been a Netflix Series
Madonna then revealed that Netflix later approached her about developing a series based on her life, but the project became complicated because she could not use the script she had written while working with Universal.
'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,' she said.
'That's just the way it goes. I started trying to understand how making a series would work. It's a very, very different process. 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,"' she added.
Confessions II
Madonna's fifteenth album, Confessions II, the sequel to her 2005 hit album Confessions on a Dance Floor, is set to be released on 3 July 2026. A few tracks have already been released, including 'Bring Your Love,' a collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter.
Madonna explained that she reunited with producer Stuart Price, who worked on Confessions on a Dance Floor, because she felt audiences needed an escape.
'I thought the world is in a very dark place and people need to dance,' she said.
At the same time, she was dealing with personal loss.
'So I wrote about a lot of family trauma, and then we started making dance music,' she added.
Beyond music, Madonna is also set to appear in the second season of Seth Rogen's Emmy-winning comedy series 'The Studio.'
