For anyone still wondering whatever happened to that long-rumored Madonna biopic—yes, it’s still happening. Sort of. Maybe. According to Julia Garner, the project is alive… it's just taking its sweet time.
During a recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, Garner confirmed that the highly anticipated film is “supposed to still happen.”
Garner has been attached to the Madonna role since 2022, hot off her run as Anna Delvey in Netflix’s Inventing Anna. At the time, multiple outlets reported she was the pop icon’s top pick after a competitive audition process that involved intense dance training—and performing in front of Madonna herself.
“It just came about… I knew they were making a movie about her and I went out to audition,” Garner explained of how she nabbed the role. “I kind of just wanted to see if I could do it.” Her approach? Channel Madonna’s own energy. “I asked myself what Madonna would do—which is like, convince you she deserves to be in this room,” she said. “And I owned it.”
The biopic faced setbacks along the way. In early 2023, Variety reported that Universal had pulled back on development. Still, Madonna and Garner remained in touch. They were photographed together at Steven Klein’s birthday party in May 2023, and in December of that year, Garner even joined Madonna onstage during a stop on her Brooklyn tour.
By July 2024, Madonna had shared that work on the script was back on, teasing a working title: Who’s That Girl—a clear nod to her 1987 film and hit single of the same name. Then, in May 2025, Deadline reported that the project may have taken a new form entirely: a limited series at Netflix, now with Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy attached.
So, yes, the Madonna story is still coming. But whether it’s a movie, a series or something else entirely… we’ll just have to wait and see. Stay tuned.
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