This Is Why The Madonna Biopic Starring Julia Garner Isn't Happening After All

Madonna is conscionable a worldly girl, surviving successful a worldly world.

The “Vogue” hitmaker graced nan screen of Interview mag for nan Summer 2026 rumor and successful nan accompanying chat, nan vocalist revealed nan logic nan ultra-hyped biopic pinch “Ozark” prima Julia Garner was scrapped: not capable acold difficult cash.

Turns out, Universal Studios was not Madonna’s Mr. Right. According to nan popular star, nan workplace didn’t stock her imagination for a fund for nan film.

“I worked connected my book for 2 years and spent 2 years astatine Universal Studios pinch nan statement producers doing budgeting and casting,” she told nan magazine. “We had a falling out, maine and Universal, regarding fund because I needed — I’ve had an bonzer life. I’ve had a immense life, truthful I needed a large budget. You cognize what I mean?”

The movie had been successful nan useful for years, and successful 2021 Universal Pictures won a multi-studio auction to helm nan biopic. According to Variety, nan book followed Madonna from her upbringing successful nan suburbs of Detroit, her creator awakening successful 1980s New York City, and concluded astir nan 1998 merchandise of “Ray of Light.”

“I recovered a measurement to make it for little money successful Serbia, but I don’t deliberation they were into nan thought of — I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe they conscionable didn’t judge successful me.”

Madonna said nan workplace couldn’t wrap its caput astir what she was suggesting and countered that she wouldn’t “stay successful Serbia much than 4 days.”

“I said, ‘Did you publication nan script?’ My full life has been survival. I’m not going location for a holiday.’”

Madonna said that she was successful “limbo” erstwhile nan movie plans fell apart, and she considered telling her life communicative done a Netflix bid erstwhile nan streamer came knocking. But she wouldn’t beryllium capable to usage nan book she had penned for Universal without buying it from nan workplace for “an extortionist’s price,” moreover though she wrote it.

“That’s conscionable nan measurement it goes,” she continued. “I started trying to understand really making a bid would work. It’s a very, very different process. You person to meet a batch of writers and find nan correct showrunner, and I couldn’t find one. This went connected for different 8 aliases 9 months. I was like, ‘Good point I person different occupation because I request to work, I request to create. I request to do what I was put connected this world to do.’”

Representatives for Universal Pictures, Netflix and Garner did not instantly respond to The Times’ petition for comment.

Through nan process of penning nan script, Madonna was bitten by nan memoir bug, but she channeled that confessional power into her forthcoming album, “Confessions connected a Dance Floor: Part II,” which drops July 3. A 13-minute euphony video weaving together six tracks from nan caller medium was released earlier this period and featured A-list cameos by Sabrina Carpenter, Kate Moss, Lourdes Leon, Benedict Cumberbatch and more.

While nan biopic and buzz astir Garner’s portrayal of nan “Like a Virgin” prima had fans of nan 2 blondes chomping astatine nan bit, each is not lost: Art captures life. Garner and Madonna were spotted filming scenes successful Venice 2 weeks agone for nan 2nd play of “The Studio,” successful which Madonna plays herself struggling to get her biopic made.