Overview
- Madonna told Interview magazine on Monday that a “falling out” over the scale and cost of a self‑directed film led Universal Pictures to shelve the project after years of development.
- Universal acquired rights in a multi‑studio auction in 2021 and Julia Garner, Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson were among the collaborators attached during the film’s multi‑year development.
- Madonna says she proposed cost cuts including shooting in Serbia but the studio doubted the plan, and she spent roughly two years writing and two years in budgeting and casting with Universal before the break.
- After the film stalled, Netflix expressed interest in a limited series via Shawn Levy, but Madonna says she could not use the Universal script without buying it back at what she called an extortionist price and she was unable to find a suitable showrunner.
- The episode highlights two industry realities: sprawling music biopics carry high production costs and studios commonly retain ownership of scripts developed under their deals, which can block creators from repurposing work and push projects into limbo while artists move on to other work.