The Madonna biopic that has been in production since 2020 has reportedly been shelved, after the pop star decided that she’d rather focus on preparing for and embarking upon her recently announced 40th anniversary world tour.
If you’re wondering why it matters that Madonna isn’t going to be around to work on this biopic venture, then you must have forgotten that she was on board to both write and direct the film. So, you know, she was sort of required.
According to Variety, Universal Pictures has now decided not to go ahead with the project, as Madonna doesn’t want any distractions to take away from work on her new live show. However, sources say that she is still committed to making a film about her life at some point in the future. Just the more distant future than previously thought.
Madonna began hinting that she was writing a screenplay with Diablo Cody in 2020, before formally announcing that the movie would be autobiographical.
At the time, she said: “I want 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. The focus of this film will always be music. 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”.
She had previously claimed that another biopic being made by Universal without her involvement was “all lies”, insisting that “only I can tell my story”.
But it seems we’ll have to wait to learn what Madonna’s version of her story is. It remains to be seen how quickly she returns to the film project after all the touring is done, if at all.