Bringing Madonna’s life story to the movies has faced many challenges, including canceled budgets and changing scripts. Despite this, Julia Garner remains hopeful about the biopic.
Garner expressed her belief that the film should still be made, even after Universal Pictures announced it was no longer moving forward. She mentioned that the project has had a complicated history, with Universal canceling the biopic in 2023, which Madonna was originally set to direct. This left Garner’s role as the “Queen of Pop” in limbo.
The film went through many script revisions, including contributions from writers like Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson, before being put on hold. Madonna had spent two years working on her script at Universal Studios, focusing on budgeting and casting. She indicated that creating the film as she envisioned came with a high cost and mentioned needing a substantial budget due to her life experiences.
Madonna had suggested filming in Serbia to reduce costs, but producers were skeptical about her staying there for an extended period. She emphasized that filming was not a vacation but a reflection of her life challenges.
Madonna first announced the development of the film in 2020, and two years later, it was reported that Garner had secured the lead role over other potential candidates. At that time, Garner indicated that the project was still developing and kept details about the plot and timeline private.
Although the biopic is currently on hold, Garner and Madonna continue to collaborate. They are working together in an episode of “The Studio,” where Garner plays a fictional version of herself alongside Madonna. Filming took place in Venice, Italy, where locations were scouted during the previous year’s Venice Film Festival.
For Garner, working with Madonna was a standout experience, despite her comments about the local food. She noted that it was amazing but added that the Italian food was not great.
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Source: Amo Media, by Amo Media