We were in the thick of the Coronavirus pandemic when the Madonna biopic was first announced, but six years on, it seems we’re still no closer to its release.

Julia Garner, who was cast in 2022 as Madonna, recently spoke with CBS about the project. She said of its status: “I don’t know. Every hour it changes, in a way.” “It’s not up to me. I would love for the movie to get made, obviously. But I also feel whatever happens, I made a great friend,” she continued. “I love Madonna. I think she’s incredible.”

Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, Odessa Young and Bebe Rexha were also reported to have been in consideration for the role. The process was said to include a full-on singing-and-dancing boot camp.

Then in 2023, the film was reported to have been scrapped ahead of Madonna’s world tour and would remain on hold at Universal Pictures. However, in July 2025 Garner shared another update when she appeared on the “SmartLess” podcast. She told hosts Will Arnett, Sean Hayes and Jason Bateman that she was still set to star as the pop icon. “That’s supposed to still happen,” Garner said, adding that she’s “such a fan of Madonna” and that she “grew up listening” to her music. She insisted that “anything that’s great…takes a long time”.

Madonna herself was set to direct, while two different scripts were reportedly penned by Diablo Cody and Cressida Wilson.

While we can live in hope that this biopic will eventually see the light of day, in the meantime, Garner can be seen in Netflix’s The Altrusists. The eight-episode limited series hits Netflix on Nov. 19th.

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