MADONNA’S biopic was canned after a litany of problems including her bizarre social media posts, a long and expensive casting process and her refusal to ask for help, a Hollywood insider told The U.S. Sun.
Universal Pictures scrapped the project last week after the Queen of Pop, 64, announced a major world tour, although the decision is believed to have been made before that.
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First green-lit in 2020, it was set to be directed and co-written by the Like a Virgin star herself.
Breaking down the fiasco for The U.S. Sun, a well-placed Tinseltown said it has left Universal an estimated $10m to $12m “in the hole”.
The insider explained that the studio’s execs were left less than impressed by the music increasingly erratic behavior on social media while she was supposed to be writing the movie.
The source said: “Madonna did herself no favors by acting weird on social media during this entire process.
“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.”
Madonna’s recent social media controversies have included posting a a video showing her licking water out of a dog bowl .
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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.”
‘RED FLAG’
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.
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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.
Playwright and author Erin Cressida Wilson was later hired to work on another draft of the script.
However, it is understood that no final version was ever produced, and there were conversations about splitting the movie into two or even making it into a miniseries.
The insider said: “When the casting process started in early 2021, there was no finished script and, quite frankly, that was the first major red flag to the whole community.
“Even though stars like Julia Garner, Sydney Sweeney, and Florence Pugh came into the process with good faith and a genuine desire for the role, their reps were freaked out that the movie still didn’t have a finished script, even as their clients were getting their vocal cords in shape and taking dancing lessons.
“Through the whole casting process, which lasted forever, Madonna and the bosses at Universal kept going back and forth on the script, and it’s why Julia Garner ultimately never signed a deal even after she won the role.”
‘DOOMED’
The mom of six’s insistence on retaining “near-total” control of the project proved a bridge too far and doomed it, according to The U.S. Sun’s insider.
Asked what could have saved the movie, the source suggested that things might have been different if Madonna had brought on a heavyweight such as The Social Network director David Fincher or fashion designer turned filmmaker Tom Ford.
The insider said: “If Madonna had relented on the point of directing this thing, which was locked in as part of her contract from day one, it would be a totally different story.
“Imagine if she could have lured, say, Tom Ford or her and her ex-husband Sean Penn’s former collaborator David Fincher to come in and direct.
“The studio would have done backflips to make this movie.
“But Madonna didn’t want to even entertain those ideas, and she never seriously considered an alternative.
“Her infamous stubbornness may have been a key to the success of her music career, but it hasn’t worked out nearly as well when it comes to filmmaking.”
The U.S. Sun has asked reps for Madonna, Universal, Julia Garner, Sydney Sweeney, and Florence Pugh for comment.
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