Madonna fans, there's sad news. The icon has scrapped her hotly-anticipated biopic, which she was set to direct herself and choreograph the dance routines for.
According to Variety, Universal Pictures has shelved the project because the 64-year-old has decided to focus on her upcoming world tour, which sold out in cities such as New York and London within minutes of its announcement last week. The publication reports that not all is lost, as Madonna is definitely committed to turning her life story into a film at some point, but as of right now, she has different priorities.
The news comes as somewhat of a surprise as back in June 2022, things seemed full steam ahead as Madonna found her Material Girl in Ozark star Julia Garner. The award-winning actress beat out several high-profile names during a rigorous audition process to play the musical icon in the now-shelved biopic.
Months earlier, The Hollywood Reporter gave insight into the "gruelling" audition process, which was described as a "Madonna BootCamp".
The publication claimed hopeful stars participated in 11-hour days, consisting of choreography sessions with Madonna's choreographer and the legend herself.
During callbacks, the whittled-down list of hopefuls had readings and singing auditions with Madonna. Speaking of the all-acting, all-singing, all-dancing role, an insider said: "You have to be able to do everything."
The role was highly coveted, and the names of several high-profile actresses were heavily considered for the role. Those rumoured to have shown off their triple talents in acting, singing and dancing during the audition process were Florence Pugh and Australian actress Odessa Young. Singers Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira were also said to be considered. The women of Euphoria, Alexa Demie, Sydney Sweeney and Barbie Ferreira, were also rumoured to be up for the lead role
Meanwhile, it had already been a rocky road for the Queen of Pop's biopic as the project was first announced over two years ago, with Diablo Cody first signing on as the original screenwriter. However, Madonna and Diablo parted ways, and The Girl on the Train's Erin Cressida Wilson stepped in to co-write the project with Madonna last year.
Insiders previously said the biopic would have followed the iconic songstress during her early days and culminated with the 1990 Blonde Ambition tour.
Speaking during the announcement, the 63-year-old explained she wanted the biopic 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".
Madonna added that the film's focus would be music as it "has kept me going and art has kept me alive".
"There are so many untold and inspiring stories, and who better to tell them than me. It's essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision," she concluded.
Madonna was also adamant about staying true to her vision and not settling for anything less. Speaking previously about why she was co-writing and directing it herself, she said on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: “The reason I'm doing it is because a bunch of people have tried to write movies about me, but they're always men.”
