Madonna biopic shelved due to world tour plans

The planned Madonna biopic starring Julia Garner has been indefinitely shelved so that the 64-year-old Bay City pop star can embark on a world tour.

According to Variety, Universal Pictures have paused development on the planned project. This decision arose after Madonna announced a career-spanning world tour last week. With the singer largely focused on the sold-out shows ahead, the biopic has been paused until further notice. 

Representatives have, however, confirmed that Madonna does not plan to scrap the idea entirely and is excited at the prospect of being the subject of a biopic in which she is involved. It is simply the case that she has other priorities to contend with presently.

Nevertheless, the project has been suspiciously slow-going. Plans were first announced back in 2020 but very little action followed until the mid-point of 2022 when Madonna consulted over two draft scripts.

In June, it was finally confirmed that Garner had landed the role of the pop sensation, winning out over the likes of Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie and Odessa Young who all auditioned for the role in a singing and dancing Bootcamp. While the cast and crew might be falling in place, fine-tuning is apparently underway. 

Following unauthorised flops like the David Bowie biopic Stardust, Universal Pictures are understandably keen to have the singer involved, not only as a promotional vehicle but also given that the singer has directed two features, her cinematic input is also being taken into consideration. While she recently said she was keen to direct so that “misogynistic men” couldn’t tell her story, the extent of her role has not yet been confirmed since that comment. 

Currently, there are no further updates about when the project is set to restart. With Madonna on tour until at least December 2nd with her final date in Amsterdam, it is unlikely that the biopic will be hitting our screens any time soon. 

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