Madonna has pretty much set the standard for every entertainer born in the ’80s and beyond—hence why she’s the subject of a long-awaited biopic. The pop culture icon was originally set to direct, produce, and co-write the project, which has experienced several hurdles since its announcement in 2020. For a while, Fantastic Four: First Steps star Julia Garner was rumored to have been cast as the “Material Girl,” though it was never fully confirmed.
However, it seems likely that Julia is still tied to the role, as she reassured SmartLess podcast hosts Sean Hayes, Will Arnett, and Jason Bateman that the long-awaited Madonna biopic is “supposed to still happen.” Bless!!!
Allow us to give you a rundown on all the behind-the-scenes changes that the Madonna biopic has experienced. In 2020, the project was tied to Universal Pictures, with Jennifer’s Body writer Diablo Cody on board as co-screenwriter alongside the seven-time Grammy winner. However, according to Entertainment Weekly, Diablo had pulled out to focus on other projects the following year.
Later, in June 2022, a source close to the project sparked rumors that Julia was slated to star. At the time, they told People, “The Madonna project is in active development, and Julia Garner is the choice to play Madonna in the biopic.”
Then, in January 2023, Variety reported that the film was no longer being developed by Universal Pictures.
That same year, Madonna embarked on her Celebration World Tour, and Julia fed into casting rumors when she made an appearance on the “Borderline” singer’s tour stop in Brooklyn. The Inventing Anna star helped judge an on-stage ballroom competition set to Madonna’s 1992 hit, “Vogue.”
When asked about the experience on The Today Show, Julia shared, “You know, we just had fun on stage. It was amazing. She was amazing. It was an incredible experience.” At that point, she played coy and still hadn’t confirmed whether she was involved with the biopic.
In July 2024, Madonna teased that she had teamed up with Erin Cressida Wilson to rework the project, which is rumored to have a working title of Who’s That Girl as an homage to her 1987 movie of the same name.
Now, Deadline reports that a Netflix limited series based on Madonna’s life is in the works with Shawn Levy. The outlet confirmed that the series is “not related” to her biopic.
And while fans STILL don't know when we can expect to see said biopic, Julia did dish during her SmartLess appearance on how she landed the lead role.
“It just came about…like I knew that they were doing a project, making a movie about it, and then I went out to audition,” Julia explained on the pod. “I kind of just wanted to see if I could do it.”
She revealed that because she had no dance experience, she had to train during the audition process, only to perform for the “Material Girl” herself. Naturally, Julia asked herself: “What would Madonna do?”
“Which is like convincing you that she deserves…to be in this room,” she said of her audition. “And I owned it. I was like, ‘You can take it or leave it, but if you leave it, if I leave, then that’s on you.’”
