Actor Julia Garner confirmed she\u2019s playing superstar Madonna in the long-awaited biopic about the performer\u2019s life. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t say too much about it, but yes, it\u2019s a work in progress,\u201d the 31-year-old told W Magazine in a video<\/a> posted Wednesday.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Madonna first announced<\/a> in 2020 that she would co-write, along with Diablo Cody, and direct a biopic about her life and career. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer \u2015 a human being, trying to make her way in this world,\u201d Madonna said in a statement at the time. \u201cThe focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive. There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me. It\u2019s essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rumors had flown for years that Garner would portray the Queen of Pop in the biopic, but Universal Pictures shelved the project in 2023. Madonna then shared in a 2024 Instagram post that she was working on the script again, and this July, Garner said on the \u201cSmartless\u201d podcast that the film was \u201csupposed to still happen\u201d \u2014 without quite confirming that she\u2019d landed the lead role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n At the time, Garner only shared her audition experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI kind of just wanted to see if I could do it, because I wasn\u2019t a trained dancer, and I had to learn how to dance and then dance in front of her and convince her that I can dance, basically, and sing,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd sing with her!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Auditions to play Madonna in the biopic were reportedly long and grueling, with some describing the process as \u201cMadonna Bootcamp.\u201d Before Garner officially landed the role, stars who were reportedly up for the part included Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n According to The Hollywood Reporter<\/a>, the audition process included up to 11-hour days featuring choreography sessions with Madonna\u2019s choreographer and the pop icon herself. At callbacks, hopefuls had to read and sing with Madonna.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n During a 2021 appearance<\/a> on \u201cThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,\u201d Madonna said she was taking the reins on her biopic because, in the past, men were the ones who had tried to write movies about her.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u201cI\u2019m thinking, why would these people make a movie about my life?\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing true in the script. The guy who\u2019s making it has no understanding of women, no appreciation of women, no respect for women.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n She later added: \u201cThere\u2019s nobody on this planet that can write or direct, make a movie about me better than me. And that is just the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n This won\u2019t be Garner\u2019s first time taking on the role of a real person. In 2022, she played convicted con artist Anna Delvey in Netflix<\/a>\u2019s \u201cInventing Anna\u201d and was nominated for several awards for her performance. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n 20 Years Of<\/span>Free<\/span>Journalism<\/span><\/p>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Your Support<\/span>Fuels<\/span>Our Mission<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Julia](\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/68b8b1bb1800007a9c8c70df.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale\")
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