Madonna has finally addressed the status of her long-gestating biopic, revealing that the project was ultimately abandoned following a significant disagreement with Universal Studios regarding the film's budget. The project, which had been in development since 2020, was intended to chronicle the singer's extraordinary life and career, with Weapons star Julia Garner previously attached to play the lead role.
In a recent interview with Interview Magazine, the pop legend explained that the decision to scrap the film stemmed from a fundamental clash over the financial requirements needed to properly tell her story. "I worked on my script for two years and spent two years at Universal Studios with the line producers doing budgeting and casting," she shared. "We had a falling out, me and Universal, regarding budget because I needed more money put into it. I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget. It’s not going to be a smaller, independent film."
Madonna noted that she even proposed cost-saving measures, such as filming in Serbia, but the studio remained unconvinced of her vision. "Maybe they just didn’t believe in me," she added. "One of their first reactions was, 'We don’t believe you’d stay in Serbia more than four days.' And I said, 'Did you read the script? My whole life has been survival. I’m not going there for a holiday.'"
Following the collapse of the film project, there were reports that the story might be adapted into a Netflix series. However, Madonna revealed that this path proved equally difficult. "I was in limbo when that fell apart, and then Netflix reached out to make a series," she explained. "That was a whole other long process, because I couldn’t use the script I had with Universal unless I bought it from them for an extortionist’s price, even though I wrote it."
After spending nearly a year attempting to navigate the series format, she ultimately decided to shelve the project, noting that the creative process was "very, very different" from what she had envisioned for a feature film. "I was like, 'Good thing I have another job because I need to work, I need to create. I need to do what I was put on this earth to do,'" she said.
While the biopic remains in limbo, the singer is currently focused on her upcoming 15th studio album, Confessions II, set for release on July 3. The record marks a reunion with producer Stuart Price and serves as a spiritual successor to her 2005 hit album, Confessions On A Dance Floor. To support the release, she has already surprised fans with an impromptu performance in New York City and a star-studded short film featuring appearances by Sabrina Carpenter, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Julia Garner.
🚨 | Madonna reveals why her biopic was scrapped: ‘I worked on my script for two years and spent two years at Universal Studios… I needed—I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget’ pic.twitter.com/qI0pqn0ovt
— pop_insider 🤍🖤 (@PInsider_) June 22, 2026