What’s going on with Madonna’s biopic? Here’s everything we know about the movie she “struggled” to make.

Madonna says the struggle to make her self-directed biopic is real.

The 66-year-old singer shared an update about the film project on Instagram on November 18. She expressed her frustration at the delay – now four years after it was announced – but said she has the dogged determination to see it through.

What just happened?

The iconic entertainer reported that she met with producers and agents in Los Angeles who told her “why I couldn’t make my movie,” which she “worked on for four years.” She said she was told to scale back production and “think small.”

Madonna wrote that she has continually faced challenges in creating her art throughout her more than forty-year career. Not only has this inspired her to keep going, she said, but it has also forced her to “think outside the box.”

But because she “didn’t have a normal life,” she wrote, “I can’t make this the normal way.” This has made her realize that she “needs to be even more fearless” in pursuing the project, as she believes that “if you want something bad enough in life – the entire universe will conspire to [help] you got it.”

She concluded her post by asking fans whether she should continue her search for a feature film of “the story of my life” – or whether she should focus on a television series.

In the comments, fans seemed divided in their reaction. They just want to see it.

What was the robbery?

The project has been in development since 2020.

In September 2020, the Material Girl confirmed that a collaboration she had touted with screenwriter Diablo Cody was in fact a biopic about her life that she would direct. She said it would be a continuation of her “struggle as an artist trying to survive as a woman in a man’s world,” and said it would be a “happy, sad, crazy, crazy, good, bad and ugly” story.

The unfinished script was 107 pages at the time and she would produce it with Amy Pascal of Pascal Pictures, with whom Madonna collaborated. Its own competition in 1992.

In April 2021, it was reported that Cody had quit. However, Entertainment Weekly reported that Cody had finished the script for Universal Pictures and had “moved on” to a new project.

In September 2021, Madonna told the Associated Press that Florence Pugh was slated to play her in what she called a “visual autobiography.” She said the writing process had been “long and arduous” but also “therapeutic”.

In October 2021, Madonna said she was “almost done with the script”. In a now-deleted post, she tagged screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson (Secretary, The girl on the train), who had taken over scriptwriting duties.

In January 2022, Madonna said she had spoken to Julia Fox about playing her BFF, Debi Mazar, in the film.

In February 2022, Madonna shared a behind-the-scenes look at a “boot camp” she held for actors auditioning for the film. The process, led by casting director Carmen Cuba, was “grueling,” a source told the Hollywood Reporter.

For months, hopefuls had to endure intense choreography sessions with Madonna’s choreographer, some of which lasted eleven hours a day. It was reported that Pugh and Julia Garner were in the running to play her and whoever won the role was expected to act, dance and sing. Bebe Rexha, Alexa Demie, Odessa Young and Sky Ferreira also reportedly auditioned.

In June 2022, Variety reported that Emmy winner Garner (Ozark) had won the role of pop icon. Madonna said in a statement that she hoped to “convey the incredible journey that life has taken me as an artist, musician, dancer – a human being, trying to find her way in this world. The focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going, and art has kept me alive.”

In July of that year, she told Variety that she was trimming the script. She called the film a “preemptive strike, because a lot of people were trying to make films about me.” Mostly misogynistic men. So I put my foot in the door and said, ‘Nobody’s going to tell my story but me.'”

In January 2023, Variety reported that the biopic had been scrapped. The line was that Madonna still planned to make the film, but she would focus on her “Celebration Tour” for the foreseeable future.

In May 2023, she shared a photo on Instagram of herself with Garner, writing, “Bitch we’re Madonna! 😂😂😂,” keeping hope alive.

In December 2023, Madonna, who had recovered from a health issue, had Garner with her on stage during her “Celebration Tour” stop in Brooklyn, NY.

In June of this year, Fox said she had been cast to play Mazar, but was unsure if this would happen. In the story they went back to ‘when they were 19’, so maybe she had dropped out of the role.

In July, the singer announced that the biopic was back, after being reworked. The title would be Who is that girla nod to her 1987 film and song of the same name. Garner was still attached to the project, according to Entertainment Weekly.

In the recent post, Madonna expressed her frustration over the speed bumps she encountered with the project from producers (including the budget) and agents, but she seemed no less determined than she was four years ago.

Madonna’s film history

Madonna has directed two feature films: 2008 Filth and wisdom and 2011 WE Both times the critics were harsh on her efforts, but that’s nothing new.

Although Madonna has no plans to appear in her biopic, she has been appearing in films since the 1980s, including in Desperate for Susan (1985), Shanghai surprise (1986), Dick Tracy (1990), Body of evidence (1993), Evita (1996) and Wiped out (2002).

She also had a memorable rock doc, Madonna: Truth or Dare (1991). Now pretty much every pop star has one, but hers changed the way artists told their stories.