Madonna’s biopic was “doomed” from the start because of sanity’s “control” and her “weird” antics on social media were the last straw

MADONNA’S biopic was dropped after studio execs were stunned by her “circus antics” on social media, a Hollywood insider told The US Sun.

The project was shelved by Universal Pictures this week after the 64-year-old Queen of Pop announced a major world tour, although the decision may have been made before then.

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It was first greenlit in 2020 and was intended to be directed and co-written by the Like a Virgin star herself.

But the mother-of-six’s controversial and bizarre posts on social media had Universal bosses “scratching their heads,” a well-placed Tinseltown source with knowledge of the matter told The US Sun.

And her insistence on maintaining “near-total” control over the project proved to be going too far, dooming it to failure, according to the insider.

The source explained: “Madonna has done herself a disservice by acting strangely on social media throughout the trial.

“She signed on to do this film and that should have been the signal for her to stop the circus antics, stop chasing likes and just pull yourself together and get this film into shape.

“Their funny Instagram posts are always catnip for their die-hard fans, but they didn’t play well at Universal.

“Studio bosses have been watching what Madonna has been posting for those months that she’s been writing and scratching their heads.”

‘I DO NOT FEEL WELL’

Madonna’s recent social media controversy included posting a racy video of herself in lingerie alongside a healthy picture of her four youngest on Christmas Day.

The post quickly garnered hundreds of thousands of views, with one critic commenting, “I’m uncomfortable.”

Fans were left confused in early December when she posted a video of her wearing a black lace balaclava while holding a riding crop.

Last month, Madonna left fans disgusted after she posted a video of herself licking water from a dog bowl after posing suggestively with bottles of sriracha and mustard.

She also took to her social media accounts and synced to a rap about slapping people in her “motherf**king face” with the caption, “Okay wait bitch.”

In October, the Michigan-born star left many confused when she appeared to come out as gay, before making the bizarre “confess” that she’s never been circumcised.

And in April, ahead of the Grammy Awards, she sparked concern with a TikTok video she filmed in a very see-through top and with what some described as a strange “frozen face.”

‘ONE BRIDGE TOO FAR’

The odd antics all came while full-time work was underway writing and casting the biopic project.

After arduous auditions for the coveted role, Ozark actress Julia Garner, 28, was cast in the role of Madonna last June.

Young stars also auditioning included Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney, 25, and Don’t Worry Darling star Florence Pugh, 27.

The casting process has been described as a boot camp where actresses were trained with grueling 11-hour choreography sessions directed by Madonna.

They were also subject to readings with Madonna and further auditions where they had to sing in front of her.

Meanwhile, on the writing front, Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody was initially hired to write the screenplay.

But in April 2021, The Sun reported that Cody, 44, had quit after finding working with Madonna too difficult.

The US Sun source said: “What this film needed from day one was a strong hand at the helm alongside Madonna.

“The hope for 2020 was Diablo Cody, who’s made some cool movies and is also an Oscar-winning screenwriter.

“But Diablo was only involved in helping write the first draft and had to leave to attend to her other projects as well as her duties as a mother.

“It was an uphill battle after she left, although Madonna insisted on writing more herself.

“Madonna as a co-writer was always a hurdle, but Madonna as the director of the film was probably too big of a bridge in hindsight.

“Madonna negotiated for near-total control of the project, and that’s what doomed it.”

The US Sun asked representatives from Madonna, Universal, Julia Garner, Sydney Sweeney and Florence Pugh for comment but received no response.

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