Julia Garner shares cryptic update on Madonna biopic after years of delays
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Julia Garner is still holding on to hope for the Madonna biopic. During an interview, the actress talked about the project that everyone is waiting for. She said she is still hoping and has not stopped thinking about the idea of playing the queen of pop.
Even with the uncertainty surrounding the project, Garner and Madonna’s friendship remains strong. The biopic, which Madonna was personally looking after, got canceled after she fell out with Hollywood studio Universal over the budget.
Julia Garner offers hope for long-delayed Madonna biopic with unexpected update
Speaking with ELLE, the 32-year-old actress said, “I think the movie has to get made,” she said. “But we’ll see...” She also shared that getting to work with Madonna on a different project was an experience she will never forget.
“It was beyond! I always say it’s fine with the Italian queen!” Garner said. “It was incredible. I’ve never had an experience like that. Food’s terrible, by the way. I had some of the worst Italian food in my life. But Venice is incredible.”
Universal Pictures canceled the plan in 2023, leaving Garner stuck in development confusion. However, the project had already gone through multiple drafts, including scripts written by Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson, before the plug was pulled.
Garner’s connection with the project dates back to 2022, and even after four years, she is still hopeful that the movie will eventually get made, and that she will get to play Madonna.
In 2023, she was already deep into preparing to step into the shoes of the 68-year-old singer, but later learned that the production studio had backed down. However, this did not let Garner’s relationship with Madonna go to waste. In December 2023, the Weapons star joined Madonna onstage during a tour stop in Brooklyn.
Why did Madonna’s biopic get shelved?
Speaking to Interview magazine, Madonna opened up about why her long-awaited biopic was ultimately shelved, revealing that she and Universal had a falling out over the film’s budget. “We had a falling out, me and Universal, regarding budget because I needed - I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget,” the singer said.
Madonna also revealed that she had proposed moving production to Serbia as a way to keep the costs down, but the studio did not seem interested in the idea. “I found a way to make it for less money in Serbia, but I don’t think they were into the idea of- I don’t know."
"Maybe they just didn’t believe in me. One of their first reactions was: ‘We don’t believe you’d stay in Serbia more than four days,’” she said. Madonna pushed back on the studio’s doubts, pointing to the difficult journey she had already faced throughout her life. “I said, ‘Did you read the script?’ My whole life has been survival. I’m not going there for a holiday,” she added.
