Madonna’s biopic was ‘doomed’ from the start over ‘controlling’ reason & her ‘weird’ social media antics were last straw
MADONNA’S biopic was canned after studio execs were left baffled by her “circus antics” on social media, a Hollywood insider has told The U.S. Sun.
The project was scrapped this week by Universal Pictures after the Queen of Pop, 64, announced a major world tour, although the decision is believed to have been made before that.
First green-lit in 2020, it was set to be directed and co-written by the Like a Virgin star herself.
But the mom-of-six’s controversial and bizarre posts on social media left Universal bosses “scratching their heads”, a well-placed Tinseltown source with knowledge of the matter told The U.S. Sun.
And her insistence meanwhile on retaining “near-total” control of the project proved a bridge too far and doomed it, according to the insider.
The source explained: "Madonna did herself no favors by acting weird on social media during this entire process.
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“She signed a contract to make this film and that should have been the signal to her to stop the circus antics, stop chasing likes, and just buckle down and get this movie into shape.
“Her funny Instagram posts are always catnip for her die-hard fans but they didn't play well at Universal.
“The studio bosses were watching what Madonna posted over these months where she was supposed to be writing and were left scratching their heads.”
'I'M UNCOMFORTABLE'
Madonna’s recent social media controversies have included posting a racy video of herself in lingerie alongside a wholesome pic of her four youngest on Christmas Day.
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The post quickly got hundreds of thousands of views, with one critic commenting: “I’m uncomfortable.”
Fans had already previously been left confused earlier in December when she posted a video wearing a black lace balaclava while holding a riding crop.
The previous month, Madonna left fans disgusted after posting a video showing her licking water out of a dog bowl after posing suggestively with bottles of sriracha and mustard.
She also took to her social media accounts lip-syncing to a rap about punching people in their “motherf**king face” with the caption: “Alright, wait, bitch.”
In October, the Michigan-born star left many confused when she appeared to come out as gay before making the bizarre “confession” that she has never been circumcised.
And in April, she sparked concern with a TikTok video ahead of the Grammy Awards, which she filmed in a very see-through top and with what some described as a weird "frozen face."
'A BRIDGE TOO FAR'
The odd antics all came as full-time work writing and casting the biopic project was ongoing.
Following arduous auditions for the coveted role, Ozark actress Julia Garner, 28, was cast to play Madonna in June last year.
Young stars who also went through auditions included Once Upon a Time in Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney, 25, and Don’t Worry Darling star Florence Pugh, 27, among others.
The casting process was described as a boot camp where actresses were drilled with grueling 11-hour choreography sessions directed by Madonna.
They also underwent readings with Madonna and further auditions where they had to sing in front of her.
Meanwhile, on the writing front, Oscar-winning Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody was initially brought on to pen the script.
But in April 2021, The Sun reported that Cody, 44, had quit after finding Madonna too difficult to work with.
The U.S. Sun’s source said: ";From day one, the thing this movie needed was a strong hand on the wheel in addition to Madonna.
“The hope in 2020 was that would be Diablo Cody, who has directed some cool movies in addition to being an Oscar-winning screenwriter.
“But Diablo was only involved with helping to write the first draft and had to leave to tend to her other projects, as well as her duties as a mom.
“It was an uphill battle after she left, even though Madonna insisted on doing more writing herself.
“Madonna as co-screenwriter was always going to be a hurdle but Madonna as director of the movie was probably a bridge too far in hindsight.
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“Madonna negotiated for near-total control of the project, and that’s the thing that doomed it."
The U.S. Sun reached out asking for comment from reps for Madonna, Universal, Julia Garner, Sydney Sweeney, and Florence Pugh but did not hear back.
