After years of whispers about Hollywood’s interest in making a biopic about Madonna, it’s happening with the iconic singer herself set to direct a movie about her life. Since the announcement was made in late 2020, the big question that has lingered has been about the actor who would play the “Material Girl.” Now it seems as though that actress has finally been chosen.
Julia Garner, star of Ozark and Inventing Anna, has reportedly been offered the role of Madonna for the untitled biopic and is “expected to accept,” per Variety. The 28-year-old Netflix star has been in the conversation for the role for sometime, even being named the “frontrunner” amidst an apparently grueling audition process.
Other actors who have apparently been considered to play Madonna under Madonna’s direction are Black Widow’s Florence Pugh, Euphoria’s Alexa Demie and singer Sky Ferreira. Garner was also among CinemaBlend’s own picks for who could play Madonna. Per a previous report from The Hollywood Reporter, the audition process took months, with hopefuls going through “intense” choreography sessions with the singer’s choreographer and personal sessions with Madonna herself.
The actors reportedly underwent singing auditions and readings with Madonna as well. If Julia Garner does indeed accept the role, she’ll reportedly go through months of intense training to learn song and dance sequences for the Madonna biopic. As the now 63-year-old icon previously shared on a particularly memorable Jimmy Fallon appearance, she decided to make the movie because a bunch of people have tried to tell her story through film in the past and they are “always men.”
The Madonna movie is being produced by Universal Pictures and will follow the singer in her “early days” and rise to fame. When the movie was announced, the singer also shared that she hopes the movie will convey her “incredible journey” as an artist “trying to make her way in this world.” Madonna finds the project “essential” to sharing the “the roller coaster ride” of her life with her own voice and vision.
The part comes to Julia Garner after she wrapped her longtime role as Ruth Langmore in Ozark, which dropped its final episode on Netflix in late April. Julia Garner got her start in film back in 2011 (at the age of 17) with Martha Marcy May Marlene alongside Elizabeth Olsen and Sarah Paulson. She has since been in movies like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, The Assistant and recently starred in the popular Netflix series, also based on a real person, with Inventing Anna.
The Madonna biopic comes following a drove of successful music-focused biopics including Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, Elton John’s Rocketman and the upcoming Elvis movie. Madonna does not yet have a release date or production start date, but with Julia Garner reportedly on board, production is likely to be on its way soon.