Updated

Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 22

Madonna Says Universal, Netflix Projects Collapsed After 2 Years of Budget and Script Disputes

Updated

Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 22

Madonna Says Universal, Netflix Projects Collapsed After 2 Years of Budget and Script Disputes

Q: After the Universal fallout, can Netflix's new series finally succeed in telling Madonna's story her way?

Yes—but only if Netflix solves the same two problems that sank the Universal film: cost and control. The strongest sign in Netflix’s favor is the format. Madonna has long argued that her life is too expansive for a standard two-hour biopic, and a limited series gives more room to cover her rise from Michigan to 1980s New York and through the *Ray of Light* era. That makes the project better suited to her stated goal of telling the story “her way.” There are still real obstacles. Madonna said the Netflix effort initially stalled because Universal’s script could only be reused at what she called an “extortionist’s price,” forcing a restart. She also spent months searching for a writer and showrunner she trusted. That suggests creative control remains central: the project is more likely to move forward only if Madonna approves the team shaping it. Netflix also appears better positioned than a traditional studio to absorb a prestige music biography in episodic form, especially through Shawn Levy’s TV deal. But the series is still in development, not on Netflix’s announced 2026 release slate, and Julia Garner is no longer attached. Those are reminders that momentum is not the same as certainty. So the answer is that Netflix has a better chance than Universal did, because the series format fits Madonna’s ambitions and she remains deeply involved. But success will depend on whether Netflix can balance her creative demands with a workable budget and a stable creative team.

Q: With her biopic canceled over budget, will Madonna's life story ever get the big-screen treatment she demands?

Probably not as the theatrical biopic Madonna originally envisioned — at least not soon. The clearest evidence is that Universal already walked away after two years of development because Madonna insisted her “extraordinary life” required a large budget, and the studio would not support that scale. Her attempt to cut costs by shooting in Serbia did not resolve the core issue: the studio doubted both the economics and the logistics. That makes another traditional studio-backed film of the same scope a hard sell in a market already wary of runaway production costs. There is also a rights problem. Madonna has said using the script she developed at Universal would require paying what she called an “extortionist’s price,” which complicates any effort to revive the same project elsewhere. That obstacle appears to have helped stall the follow-up Netflix effort, where she also struggled to find a showrunner for months. What looks more realistic now is a prestige streaming series rather than a single big-screen movie. Netflix is still developing an autobiographical Madonna project through Shawn Levy’s TV deal, though it is not on Netflix’s announced 2026 release slate and Julia Garner is not attached to the current version. That suggests the story remains alive, but in a different format and at an uncertain pace. So Madonna’s life story is likely to reach screens, but the evidence points to television or streaming, not the expensive theatrical biopic she demanded.

3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 22

Madonna said her long-planned life story stalled first at Universal after two years of budgeting, casting and script work because the studio balked at the large budget she said her "extraordinary life" required.
Serbia became one proposed cost-cutting fix, but Madonna said Universal doubted she would stay there to make the film, deepening the split that left the project in limbo.
Netflix later approached her about turning her story into a series, but she said she could not reuse the Universal script unless she bought it back at an "extortionist's price."
That effort also died after eight or nine months because the series format required new writers and a showrunner, and Madonna said she could not find the right fit.
The abandoned film had been announced in 2020, put into turnaround in late 2022, and had Julia Garner attached at one stage.