Julia Garner Says Madonna Biopic Still Needs To Happen Despite 2023 Cancellation

Julia Garner said in an ELLE interview published Sept. 8 that the scrapped Madonna biopic must get made. Production fell apart three years ago. The 32-year-old actress was cast to play the pop star in the Universal Pictures film before the studio pulled the plug. "I think the movie has to get made," Garner declared to ELLE. "But we'll see..."

Universal Pictures canceled the project in January 2023. Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson wrote the script before the studio shut down production. Madonna was set to co-write and direct her life story, but budget disputes led to the breakdown with the studio. The 68-year-old singer worked on the script for two years. She spent another two years on budgeting and casting at the studio.

Garner became Madonna's top choice in 2022. She'd started preparing for the part when production stopped.

The two women have stayed close since the project ended. Garner joined Madonna onstage during a tour stop in Brooklyn in December 2023. They filmed together for The Studio Season 2 in Venice earlier this year.

"It was beyond! I always say it's fine with the Italian queen!" Garner told ELLE about working with the singer in Venice. "It was incredible. I've never had an experience like that."

The actress texts with Madonna and praises her sense of humor. "She's one of the funniest people I've ever met. Like, actually. And people don't know that," Garner said.

Both stars appeared in an episode of The Studio that featured their fictional company trying to make the biopic happen. Garner will star in the upcoming Apple TV+ series, Guilty Creatures. She'll co-star with Charlize Theron in the film, Tyrant.