It seems that the much-rumoured Madonna biopic may be back on, this time around as a Netflix series with one of the streaming giant’s most beloved producer/director/co-collaborators at the helm.
Shawn Levy’s direction powered the first three films in the Night at the Museum series, while his production on 2016’s sci-fi Arrival earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. After that he went on to executive produce and direct episodes of Netflix’s Stranger Things and his most recent hit, 2024’s sweary and scary Deadpool & Wolverine, became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
Just the guy for telling the outrageous and potentially eye-popping story of Madonna’s uncharted quest for stardom, therefore?
It’s worth pointing out that this is an entirely new Madonna biopic project, after 2020’s heavily gossiped but untitled and unannounced take – co-written by Madonna and Juno’s writer Diablo Cody – never saw the light of day. Likewise, another attempt to get the project out of the gate with The Girl on the Train screenwriter, Erin Cressida Wilson, soon went off the rails.
However, the latest rumours suggest that Emmy-winning Ozark star Julia Garner - who was, behind the scenes, believed to be successful in securing the Madonna role for both 2020’s misfire projects - is now back on board for Netflix’s series.
A fact borne out by the fact that the pair have been seen together as recently as Vanity Fair's Oscar Party in March.
Garner won the role after tough sessions of singing and dancing training, beating out the rumoured likes of Florence Pugh, Bebe Rexha, Alexa Demie and Odessa Young to secure the job.
“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,” Madonna said as part of the initial 2020 announcement. “There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me? It’s essential to share the rollercoaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.”
Desperately Seeking… Something…
At present it’s therefore a little uncertain as to what form the show might take. Will Madonna herself be on camera, recalling events, retelling the tall tales and reliving the moments that we’ve heard so much about? Or is she entirely off camera?
Will she still insist on writing and producing? Or, given that Netflix has secured one of its star producer/directors for the project, will she be invited to leave this to someone else?
Plus, given that we’ve already been neck deep inside Madonna’s world via her legendary In Bed With Madonna 1991 tour doc and 2021 older/wiser update Madame X, haven’t we seen it all already?
But while Madonna’s grip on the zeitgeist might seem to waver and drift, never forget that 2019’s Madame X was her ninth Billboard number one and her 2023/2024 Celebration Tour played 80 shows to an estimated 1.1 million people, netting her $225.4m in the process.
It’s safe to say that there’s still plenty of material in this girl yet.
