Julia Garner, the actress attached since 2022 to play Madonna in a long-stalled biopic, says she no longer knows where the project stands. Asked about its status on “CBS Sunday Morning,” which aired Nov. 8, Garner replied that “every hour it changes, in a way.” She said the decision is not hers and that she would love to see the movie made, but that whatever happens, she gained a great friend.
The answer extends years of uncertainty. The biopic was first announced in 2020, and Garner joined in 2022. Universal Pictures reportedly cancelled it in 2023. Madonna was to direct, with scripts developed by Diablo Cody and Erin Cressida Wilson. Garner reportedly won the part after an audition that involved hours of choreography and singing in front of Madonna herself.
Her tone has shifted over the past year. In July 2025, she told the “SmartLess” podcast the film was “supposed to still happen.” Reports of a Netflix limited series that Madonna was developing with Shawn Levy complicated that picture. Madonna later teased a script under the working title “Who’s That Girl.” Neither Madonna’s team nor Universal has said whether any version of the film is active in the coverage reviewed.
The two women have kept working together outside the film. Garner joined Madonna onstage during the Celebration Tour and appeared in the companion short film “Confessions II – The Film.” In September she paid tribute to the singer at the MTV Video Music Awards, recreating a look from Madonna’s 1990 Blond Ambition Tour. That record suggests a relationship strong enough to survive the project’s collapse. Garner has plenty of work to occupy her in the meantime. Her new Netflix series, “The Altruists,” premieres Nov. 19. Her recent credits include “Weapons” and a role in Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”
The biopic’s history shows how hard such projects are to finish. The film passed through a studio exit, a star’s tour schedule and an alternate streaming plan, and each stage cost momentum. Garner’s remarks offer neither a confirmation nor a cancellation. For now, fans have a hopeful actress, a cautious pop star and no production date. The next update will likely come from Madonna, who holds the rights to her own story.
