Madonna has opened up about the breakdown of her much-talked-about biopic, which stars actress Julia Garner. The singer, in his 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 the details behind her film and series of web series being scrapped. “I was going 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 at Universal Studios with the line producers doing budgeting and casting.”According to the singer, the film required a bigger budget than the studio was willing to approve. He said, “We fought, me and Universal, about the budget because I had to — I had an amazing life. I had a really big life, so I needed a big budget. You know what I mean?”
Madonna in an attempt to lower the budget
According to the star, the production house “couldn’t figure out” the budget needed to make a biopic that he had in mind. It even prompted him to find ways to reduce prices by finding “a way to make a profit in Serbia.”“Maybe they just didn’t believe me. One of their first reactions was, ‘We don’t believe you can stay in Serbia for more than four days.’ And I said, ‘Have you read the script?’ My whole life was saved. I’m not going there for a holiday,” Madonna added.
Madonna to change biopic from film to web series
After the film adaptation was shelved, Madonna said discussions began about repurposing the project as a Netflix series. However, remembering the obstacles created by the later OTT format, he explained, “I was in limbo when that fell, and then Netflix reached out to make a series. That was a whole long process, because I couldn’t use the script I had at Universal unless I bought it from them for the price of an extortionist, even if I wrote it.“
Madonna in her music career
The singer revealed that he spent almost a year trying to adapt the project into a television series but eventually abandoned those plans as well. “That’s the way it goes…” He said and added, “You have to meet a lot of writers and find the right showrunner, and I didn’t find one. I must do what I was called to do on this earth.'”The biopic first entered development in 2020 and is reportedly titled ‘Who’s That Girl’. Madonna is attached to direct and co-write the film herself, with actress Julia Garner playing 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 then.
Madonna released the short film
Meanwhile, Madonna remains busy with musical 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 the appearances of Sabrina Carpenter, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kate Moss, Julia Garner, Shygirl, Richard E. Grant, Honey Dijon and other famous names.
