Madonna has revealed that the long-discussed film about her life never moved forward because she and Universal Pictures could not agree on the budget. In an interview published Monday in Interview magazine, the 67-year-old pop star said she spent four years developing the project, including two years writing the script and two more working with studio executives on financing, casting and production.
“I had an extraordinary life. I had a big life, so I needed a big budget,” Madonna said. “I was supposed to do a movie about my life, but me and Universal had a disagreement about the budget.” She said she tried to salvage the project by suggesting part of the shoot be moved to Serbia to cut costs, but that did not persuade the studio. “Maybe they just didn’t believe in me,” she said, adding that executives told her, “We don’t believe you’re going to stay in Serbia for more than four days.” Madonna replied that they had apparently not read the script and said, “My whole life has been survival. I wasn’t planning to go there on vacation.”
Madonna was set to direct the film herself, with Julia Garner cast to play her after a much-publicized and demanding audition process. The movie was expected to cover her childhood in Michigan, her move to New York in the 1980s, and through the release of 1998’s Ray of Light.
After the film was scrapped, Netflix approached Madonna about turning her life story into a series. She said that process also took time because she could not use the script written for Universal unless she bought back the rights. She is now developing a new autobiographical series for the streaming company, hoping her story will finally reach the screen. In the meantime, she is also preparing a new album, Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II, due out July 3, as a sequel to her 2005 release and a return to her dance-pop sound with producer Stuart Price.
