While quarantine has had many artists turning to the internet for streaming capabilities or filming various reunions or interviews, Madonna has chosen to take this pause of sorts and finally dive into a project that fans have been clamoring for for some time; Madonna has confirmed (via Instagram Live) that she is hard at work on a long awaited biopic of her life. With Oscar winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno) at the helm, the Material Girl and the Academy Award winning writer got together recently, filming their writing session for Instagram Live. Cody called their months of working together a “beautiful discovery” while Madonna called it a “form of therapy” crafting her own life story, and writing about herself. According to Madonna, sixty two pages have been crafted already, which will bring it to an approximate run time of two hours. Madonna also emphatically said “I am not playing myself in this movie; that’s just not going to happen” (more on that later).
As Madonna herself said there is “so much to put in” in terms of the content of the film. Already confirmed by Madonna and Cody, “We do talk about Andy (Warhol), and Keith (Haring), and Jean-Michel Basquiat and Martin Burgoyne and the whole coming up as an artist in Manhattan, downtown, Lower East Side in the early ’80s,” Madonna said . “Honestly, it’s one of the best times of my life, and one of the worst times. I hope I can portray or express what a thrilling time that was for me in every way.”
One scene that Madonna fans are anxious to see now that it has been promised is the first meeting with Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza, two of the members of the iconic New York City Harlem ballroom scene (and of the legendary House of Xtravaganza), who helped usher the ballroom scene into the mainstream, courtesy of Madonna’s iconic 90’s single “Vogue”, co-authored by Shep Pettibone. She and Cody mention that the Xtravaganza boys were “a very important part of her life for quite a while” and wonders “what they think of Pose” (the show that depicts the ballroom scene of the 80’s and 90’s in New York City). Madonna herself says “it is hard for her to like something that she lived”.
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Madonna is also seemingly not afraid to delve into areas that were definitely uncomfortable in her career. When she speaks of her experience working with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the film adaption of Evita, Madonna wistfully said “I think I had a few nervous breakdowns worrying that I was going to be fired every day,”, going on to say “No, (Andrew) wasn’t, he was not nice to me. I’m not sure he even wanted me in the movie.”
Madonna and Guy Oseary just followed Julia Garner on IG. Um…. Diablo Cody-written biopic??!! pic.twitter.com/t5XU8c1nfH
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) August 28, 2020
As for the woman that will portray the global superstar who so many years ago simply wanted to “change the world”? While diehard fans have debated names for years, the focus is now on actress Julia Garner of Ozark fame, who both Madonna and Guy Oseary follow on Instagram currently.
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