A Madonna biopic has been in the planning stage since 2020. The biopic will be directed by Madonna herself and will star Julia Garner as the lead actress. It goes by the working title, Little Sparrow.
Unfortunately, Universal Pictures has decided to shelve the film. This decision comes shortly after the iconic singer announced she will be going on a global tour. Within minutes of the announcement, tickets for the tour dates for New York, Paris, and London were sold out right away.
But was that the real reason why the project was shelved?
Why Was the Madonna Biopic Film Canceled?
As reported by Variety on Tuesday, the music legend will be taking an "indefinite holiday." According to the magazine's sources, Madonna's sole focus right now is her tour. But despite this, she still hopes to continue her biopic someday.
This seems to go against the the Hollywood Reporter's sources who say the film's cancellation was already decided upon before her global tour was announced. Unfortunately, there's no way to confirm this since representatives from Universal, Madonna, or Garner declined to comment.
Rumors of an Intense Casting Process Emerge
There are a number of sources who believe the long audition process may have something to do with the cancellation. Even though the supposed biopic already cast Garner as the frontrunner for Madonna's role, the actress had to go through a rigorous 11-hour-a-day choreography sessions to audition for the role. Some of the actresses who auditioned for the titular role include Florence Pugh and Odessa Young.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed that hopeful candidates had to go through choreography sessions with the choreographer of Madonna. Once they passed these, they had to through a choreography session with the singer. There would also be callbacks that would include a reading and singing audition with Madonna.
Who Was Supposed to Be Part of Little Sparrow Crew?
Apart from Madonna being its director, Little Sparrow was supposed to be produced by Amy Pascal with a script written by Diablo Cody before it was turned over to Erin Cressida Wilson and Madonna.
According to reports, several drafts of the scripts were made. Unfortunately, none of these could be put below 180 pages. Since this posed as a problem, there were plans to split the movie into two or turning it into a miniseries.
Will There Be a Madonna Biopic in the Future?
Even though the project was shelved by Universal Pictures, Madonna remains committed to making this movie. In 2020, she said:
"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 maker her way in this world. There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me."
RELATED: What Are Julia Garner's Next Roles? Here's Everything We Know So Far
Explore new topics and discover content that's right for you!
Queries