Picture this: you’re in a dance studio. Sweating. Singing. Dancing. Madonna – yes, actual Madonna – is standing five feet away, watching you with the intensity of someone deciding whether to hire you or vaporise you. Welcome to marie claire cover star Julia Garner’s version of “So You Think You Can Be Madonna?”
What Happened To The Madonna Movie?
The Ozark and Inventing Anna star isn’t just pretending to be Madonna in some cheeky SNL sketch. She’s been cast to play the Queen of Pop in the long-rumoured (and frequently paused) biopic that Madonna is, naturally, directing herself. And yes, the film is apparently still happening. “That’s supposed to still happen,” Garner confirmed on the SmartLess podcast, casually dropping the bombshell with the same nonchalance most of us reserve for saying we might go to Pilates later.
This isn’t your average musical biopic. This is Madonna’s musical biopic. A deeply personal, wildly ambitious, possibly exhausting project about the woman who turned cone bras and controversy into a global brand. It was originally announced in 2022, got shelved in 2023 (blame her world tour), and is now allegedly being retooled as a Netflix series, possibly involving Stranger Things super-producer Shawn Levy. Nothing is ever simple when it comes to Madonna. Or Julia Garner, for that matter.
Garner, no stranger to intense performances (hello, Ruth Langmore), took on the audition challenge with the kind of gusto Madonna herself might call “borderline psychotic, in a good way.” She told the podcast she was not a trained dancer, but still said yes to dancing – in front of Madonna. And singing. With Madonna. No pressure.
Her mantra going into it? “What would Madonna do?”
Spoiler: Madonna would absolutely fake it till she makes it, flip the room on its head, and then probably invent a new genre while she’s at it.
“I had to convince her that I can dance,” Garner said. “I was kind of like, ‘You can take it or leave it. But if I leave, that’s on you.’” And just like that, a new religion was born.
Is Julia Garner Playing Madonna?
The role of Madonna was hotly contested, with Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie and Anne Winters also reportedly in the running. But it was Garner – elfin, electric, and quietly intense – who clinched it. She doesn’t just wear the crown; she twirls in it, eyeliner sharp, ponytail tighter than a bank holiday brunch booking.
The biopic (or now possibly series) remains deep in development limbo, but if Garner’s got anything to say about it, she’s still very much into the groove. And honestly, we kind of want to see her dance battle Madonna again – this time, on screen.
As for when we’ll see it? TBD. But like Julia says: “Anything that’s great… takes a long time.” And if anyone knows how to make us wait and still want it – it’s Madonna.
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