Madonna is back at work on her biopic, as the iconic singer confirmed on social media.
Madonna shared on Instagram that she is back writing the film‘s screenplay, with the feature now titled “Who’s That Girl,” a classic reference in the annals of Madonna lore. “Who’s That Girl” is also the title of James Foley’s 1987 comedy feature (which marked one of Madonna’s first movie roles and co-starred Griffin Dunne), a soundtrack single for the film, and Madonna’s world tour that same year.
“I Need A-lot of Bandz to make this………..OKAY,” Madonna captioned, adding, “Story of my life.”
It literally is: The songwriter has been in development on her biopic for years, with Diablo Cody first co-writing the screenplay, then titled “Little Sparrow.” In 2021, Madonna collaborated with Erin Cressida Wilson, who is now credited on the rewritten version. Armed with a fresh script and a new title, Madonna also announced she will direct the feature.
Julia Garner was announced to portray the Grammy winner before the original incarnation of the project was shelved. Julia Fox also confirmed to IndieWire that she was cast as Debi Mazar. However, Madonna opted instead to go on tour to promote her new album rather than shoot the film, which was said to culminate with Madonna’s 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. The feature was officially shelved by Universal in January 2023.
“I know it was gonna be either tour or movie and then she went on tour,” Fox told IndieWire. “So I don’t know when the movie will be picking back up again or when they’re going to start working on it again. But I didn’t hear anything. I actually don’t know.”
She added, “I mean, I’d still love to but I genuinely don’t know. They are going back, you know, when, when they’re like 19 and they first meet. I feel like I might have already aged out of that casting, but we’ll see.”
Madonna’s own filmography has been remembered recently, with Spike Lee telling Vulture that he “didn’t give a fuck” about Madonna’s reputation at the time of casting her in 1996 film “Girl 6” alongside Mazar. At the time, Madonna’s acting career was in a downward spiral after her two box office flops, “Body of Evidence” and “Dangerous Game.”
“I didn’t give a fuck,” Lee said. “She’s who I had in mind, and she wanted to do it, so that was it. She’s a pro.”
