The Madonna biopic starring Julia Garner has been postponed indefinitely as the Queen Of Pop prepares for a world tour.
Madonna, 64, planned to direct the film herself for Universal Pictures, but Variety reports the film is no longer in development.
The news that the biopic is being canceled comes a week after the ‘Queen Of Pop’ announced a massive world tour, raising doubts about the film’s future.
Out: The upcoming Madonna biopic (left) starring Julia Garner (right) has been postponed indefinitely as the Queen Of Pop prepares for a world tour
Sources say she still wants to make the film at some point in the future but is currently focused on her upcoming concert series.
Madonna spent years leaking the film, which was first announced in 2020 and blew away several screenwriters.
Diablo Cody, who won an Oscar for the screenplay for Juno, and Erin Cressida Wilson, who wrote the film Secretary, both adapted Madonna’s screenplay.
“I have a very long script that I’m having a hard time cutting down,” Madonna said last summer. “I’ve carved it, but it’s like having my limbs chopped off.”
Gratitude: The news that the biopic is being canceled comes a week after the ‘Queen Of Pop’ announced a massive world tour; She is pictured on Instagram last week thanking fans for getting tickets
When asked why she chose this venture, she told Variety, “I’ve had an extraordinary life, I have to make an extraordinary movie.”
The Material Girl added: “It was also a pre-emptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make films about me. Mostly misogynistic men. So I put my foot in the door and said, “No one’s gonna tell my story but me.”
In June, news broke that Julia Garner, who recently played fake German heiress Anna Delvey in the Netflix miniseries Inventing Anna, had been offered the lead role.
Julia has reportedly hit a string of lively names, including Oscar nominee Florence Pugh, Kingstown Mayor actress Emma Laird and euphoria bombshell Alexa Demie, as well as singers like Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira.
‘I had an extraordinary life’: Madonna, who starred in a 1985 promotional shot for the film Desperately Seeking Susan, spent years leaking her biopic
The top candidates are said to have gone through a “Madonna Bootcamp” including dance training, which allegedly could last up to 11 hours a day.
A source told The Hollywood Reporter that the process, which involved lessons from both Madonna’s choreographer and the pop diva herself, was “grueling.”
Shortlisted actresses also did readings and singing auditions for Madonna, as one insider put it: “You have to be able to do everything.”
In early June, it emerged that Julia had been offered the role, and reports swirled that the project’s working title was Little Sparrow.
On the road: In early June, it emerged that Julia had been offered the role and reports swirled that the project’s working title was Little Sparrow; She is pictured in July
However, the film fell under a cloud of uncertainty last week when Madonna revealed she was putting together a world tour.
Dubbed “Celebration,” the concert dates run from June through December and take the superstar to 35 cities across North America and Europe.
Demand for tickets quickly became a frenzy, to the point where the Like A Prayer hitmaker was forced to add dates to accommodate her ravenous fans.
Julia reportedly hit a string of lively names, including Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (left) and blonde pop act Bebe Rexha (right).
Madonna, who has an amazingly smooth complexion, posted an emotional Instagram video on Sunday thanking her audience for buying the tickets.
“I don’t take any of this for granted,” she said. “I feel like the luckiest girl in the world and am so grateful for all of your support.”
A few years ago, Universal recorded a script for a Madonna biopic called Blonde Ambition by a writer named Elyse Hollander.
Hit the road: However, last week the film fell under a cloud of uncertainty when Madonna, pictured in 2018, revealed she was putting together a world tour
However, Madonna furiously took offense at the project and posted several scathing denunciations on social media.
She raged that “only I can tell my story. Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool looking for instant gratification without doing the work.’
Madonna has previously directed two much-ridiculed feature films, the biopic W/E about Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson and the dramedy Filth And Wisdom.