Madonna's Wildly Expensive Request For Biopic Has Everyone Scratching Their Heads

Superstar Madonna has been involved in the making of her biopic, although the project has tumultuous history. It was reported that actor Julia Garner, who was a chameleon in her role on Netflix's "Inventing Anna," was set to play the pop star, although there wasn't an official casting announcement before Madonna hit the brakes on the project to go on a world tour. That delay was announced by Variety in January 2023, but by July 2024, the film was back on.

Madonna took to Instagram that month to reveal the film's title is now "Who's That Girl," which was also the name of a film Madonna starred in and a song she released to go on its soundtrack in the late '80s. This month, it was reported that another possible delay hit Madonna's biopic by sources for the Daily Mail, and it all boils down to money. "Madonna wanted $100 million to do this and [the producers] laughed at her," an insider said. "They told her that it was ludicrous." 

However, they said Madonna was determined and claimed she'd fundraise the budget she wanted, since she was adamant the movie goes exactly how she wants it to go. They continued, "She is not going to give control of this to a studio so that they can make a fortune for telling her story." The source also acknowledged there's truth to rumors of Madonna's personality: "She is well-known for being a perfectionist, demanding and a massive control freak. ... But Madonna is Madonna for a reason. She is an artist, and she has decided to go back to the drawing board." That makes sense, since Madonna released a concert documentary titled "Madame X" in 2021 and was very hands-on, even doing some of the editing.

Another insider told the Daily Mail Madonna was reportedly unhappy with the first script she got for her biopic, but producers weren't a fan of her draft. "So she said, 'F*** it I am doing it my way,'" the source said, before claiming the "Like a Prayer" songstress wants to make a TV series instead to fit her whole life story into it. However, some commenters on the Daily Mail article were unimpressed, pointing out that the accuracy of the film may be skewed if Madonna is going to direct it herself. Another commenter snarked, "She could finance 100 million out of her own pocket. She's ridiculous."

The same day the Daily Mail article was published, Madonna wrote about her movie-making struggles on Instagram. In the caption of the post, she described the frustration of naysayers advising her to cut back on her ambitions for the biopic and acknowledged it was a four-year endeavor so far. The "Vogue" singer emphasized that the film had to reflect the scale of her life and added, "Spending time with my creative friends was just the fuel I needed to keep going!" Madonna later said: "We cannot shrink and make ourselves smaller. If you want something badly enough in life — the whole universe will conspire to [help] you get it." She then questioned if it should be a TV series as opposed to a movie.

Fans in the comments were at odds on whether or not it should be a movie, a movie series, a show, or some combination. A couple fans had other goals in mind, with one saying: "How about a new album first ? Lol."