The story of Madonna’s life won’t be coming to cinemas anytime soon, according to a report on Tuesday.
Variety cited multiple sources as saying the pop star’s biopic is no longer in development at Universal Pictures.
Reps for Madonna and the studio declined to comment, according to the report – as did a rep for Julia Garner, who was reportedly cast as Madonna.
Many fans wondered about the status of the film when Madonna announced she was embarking on The Celebration Tour, which kicks off in Vancouver on July 15. (She will do multiple shows in Toronto and Montreal in August.)
Madonna announced in 2020 that she will direct the movie. “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,” she said, in a statement, at the time.
“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.”
Last February, Madonna took to Instagram to confirm that auditions were underway, describing the process as “surreal.”
In July, Madonna gave Variety an update on the project. “I have a very long script that is really hard for me to make shorter,” she said. “I’ve been whittling away at it, but it’s like hacking off my limbs.”
The pop icon also explained why she wanted to call the shots on her own biopic. “I’ve had an extraordinary life, I must make an extraordinary film,” said Madonna. “It was also a preemptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make movies about me. Mostly misogynistic men. So I put my foot in the door and said, ‘No one’s going to tell my story, but me.’”
During a 2019 appearance on The Graham Norton Show in London, Madonna was asked who she thought would direct her life story. “I will make mine. I will. I can,” she replied. “I would like to warn any director that thinks they’re going to make a biopic of me that there will be more mysterious deaths.”
Madonna, now 64, made her directorial debut with the 2008 comedy Filth and Wisdom and, three years later, directed the historical drama W.E., which had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.