Madonna had been working on a film about her own life for years. It was supposed to be a major studio project. Instead, it fell apart over money. The pop star has now spoken about the breakdown publicly, explaining exactly where things went wrong.
The biopic was first announced in 2020. Madonna was set to co-write the script and direct the film herself. She spent two years writing the script and another two years at Universal Studios working through budgeting and casting with line producers. It was a long process. A serious one. But it never made it out of pre-production.
A budget dispute ended everything
In an interview with Interview magazine, Madonna addressed the fallout directly. She said her life required a big budget to portray accurately. Universal did not agree.
“I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget,” she told the magazine.
Universal Pictures could not get their heads around the budget required for the project. To find a way forward, Madonna proposed a solution. She suggested moving the production to Serbia to bring costs down. That idea did not go over well either.
The studio rejected the Serbia proposal. They expressed doubt about her commitment to actually filming in Eastern Europe.
Madonna pushed back on that. She said the studio questioned whether she would even stay in the country for more than four days. Her response was pointed. “Did you read the script? My whole life has been survival. I’m not going there for a holiday,” she said.
The two sides could not find common ground. The project was shelved.
The script problem
After the studio deal collapsed, Madonna was left without a clear path forward. Then Netflix came to her with an offer to develop a series instead.
There was a complication, though. She could not simply use the script she had already written. To use the script she had developed with Universal, she would have had to buy it back from them at what she described as an extortionist’s price, despite having written it herself.
She did not name a specific amount. But she made clear the terms were not workable.
Who was in the original film
The Universal version had notable talent attached. Screenwriters Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson were on board, and actor Julia Garner had been cast to play Madonna.
That casting never made it to a set. At least not for the intended purpose. In April, Madonna and Garner filmed a parody of the cancelled biopic in Venice for season two of Apple TV’s The Studio. It was a lighter take on what had been a years-long professional setback.
The Netflix series
The story does not end with Universal. In 2025, Deadline reported that Madonna is partnering with director Shawn Levy to develop a limited bioseries for Netflix. The format is different from the original film. Garner is not part of the Netflix project.
No release date has been out for the series.