Madonna’s canceled biopic ‘already cost Universal Studios up to $12 million before the gut check moment’

MADONNA’S canned biopic has cost Universal an estimated $12 million, a Hollywood source exclusively tells The US Sun.

The project was scrapped by Universal Pictures this week after the 64-year-old Queen of Pop announced a major world tour, although the decision is thought to have been made beforehand.

4

4

The film, which was first greenlit in 2020, was set to be directed and co-written by the Like a Virgin star herself.

Ozark actress Julia Garner, 28, won the coveted role of Madonna after beating stiff competition from other young stars like Florence Pugh and Sydney Sweeney in grueling boot camp-style auditions.

Meanwhile, on the writing front, Academy Award-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody was hired to put the script together.

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

Playwright and author Erin Cressida Wilson was later hired to work on another draft of the screenplay.

It is believed that a final version was never produced and there have been talks of splitting the film into two parts or even turning it into a mini-series.

A well-placed Tinseltown source told The US Sun that the entire development process has likely cost Universal between $10 million and $12 million by now.

That means that if another studio wants to pick up the film, they would have to reimburse Universal just to have the right to start over, the insider said.

The source explained, “They started spending money on this project back in 2020, including millions for Madonna and her manager Guy Oseary to license the rights to Madonna’s story and music, and millions for writing and directing fees for Madonna and Diablo Cody’s First-Class Author Credits as a Former Oscar-winner.

“Then there was the dance and ‘boot camp’ elements of the casting process, which all took months.

“When you spend millions and millions on a project without a final script, there’s going to be a moment of gut control, and that’s what happened here.”

Casting for the project, actresses were trained in 11-hour choreography sessions directed by Madonna.

They also did readings with the music legend and other auditions where they had to sing in front of her.

The US Sun reported yesterday that Universal officials were unfazed by Madonna’s bizarre social media posts over the past few months while she was supposed to be working on the film.

She has been embroiled in several controversies after posting a series of outlandish videos on TikTok and Instagram.

The mother-of-six’s insistence on maintaining “near-total” control over the project has proved too far-reaching and doomed, according to an insider for The US Sun.

But despite the sunk costs for the studio, the source says the project has always been about artistic credibility for Madonna, not money.

The insider said, “There’s no doubt that Madonna will make more money from her Celebration tour than she would have had she spent 2023 filming the Madonna movie.

“This was never about money and Madonna has made more money in her career than she knows how to do.

“Making this film was a chance to finally prove herself as a filmmaker and artist outside of the songs and music videos she is known for.

“Remember, she was married to two film directors, Sean Penn and Guy Ritchie, and she wanted to show the world that she really learned something from the experience of watching these guys put their directorial careers together.”

Madonna had previously directed two feature films, the dramedy Filth and Wisdom (2008) and WE (2011), about King Edward VIII’s abdication from the British throne to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Her music tour is scheduled to begin in July and will highlight the music throughout her illustrious career spanning 40+ years.

Shows in New York, London, Paris and other cities sold out in minutes.

Sources close to Madonna told Variety that the tour is her “sole focus” now, but she remains committed to one day making a film about her life.

The US Sun has reached out to representatives from Madonna and Universal Pictures for comment.

4

4