The plug has been pulled on a Madonna biopic that was written by her and was set to star "Ozark" actor Julia Garner.
The film had been in development with Universal Pictures since 2020 and was to chronicle Madonna's decadeslong career spanning fashion, music, and cinema. But Variety reported Tuesday that Universal backed out after Madonna's announcement of a global tour last week.
Sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the film's cancelation was decided late last year before the tour was revealed.
The outlet reported that development for the movie had always been a struggle. One insider claimed that none of the many drafts of the scripts was under 180 pages, which led to conversations about splitting the movie into two parts or making it a miniseries.
"You have 40 years of success, and it's very hard to put that into one movie," said the source.
Insiders told Variety that while Madonna's focus is now the tour, which sold out in New York, Paris and London within minutes of being announced, she is committed to making the film despite Universal's withdrawal.
Upon revealing the film in 2020, Madonna said she hoped to "convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer — a human being, trying to make her way in this world," according to a report by Variety at the time.
"The focus of this film will always be music," Madonna said. "Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive. There are so many untold and inspiring stories, and who better to tell it than me. It's essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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