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Madonna Cancels Universal Biopic Over Budget, Announces July Album

6/23/2026

Summary

Madonna Scraps Biopic

Madonna announced June 22, 2026 that her Universal Studios biopic was scrapped after a budget dispute.
She spent years budgeting with Universal and had Julia Garner attached to star.
She proposed filming in Serbia to cut costs, but Universal rejected the plan.
Netflix offered a series at an “extortionist” price, leaving her without a showrunner and delaying effort.
She announced album Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II for release on July 3, 2026.

Summary

Madonna Teams Garner

Madonna and Julia Garner are making a short film to accompany Madonna's Confessions 2 album, due July 3, 2026.
Both will appear in Season 2 of Apple TV+ series The Studio, portraying a dramatized stalled biopic.
The Studio season depicts the fictional Madonna biopic premiering at the Venice Film Festival.
Netflix is developing a Madonna autobiographical series via Shawn Levy's TV deal, without Garner.

Summary

Madonna Biopic Delayed

Madonna hired Oscar-winner Diablo Cody and writer Cressida Wilson, but each script ran over 180 pages.
The biopic, announced in 2020, entered Universal’s turnaround in late 2022.
Madonna’s plan to film in Serbia was rejected, adding a location dispute to the budget problem.
Without a showrunner, Netflix negotiations lingered eight to nine months, further delaying the series.

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Madonna Scraps Biopic

Madonna announced June 22, 2026 that her Universal Studios biopic was scrapped after a budget dispute.
She spent years budgeting with Universal and had Julia Garner attached to star.
She proposed filming in Serbia to cut costs, but Universal rejected the plan.
Netflix offered a series at an “extortionist” price, leaving her without a showrunner and delaying effort.
She announced album Confessions on a Dance Floor: Part II for release on July 3, 2026.

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