Julia Garner Shares an Update on Shelved Madonna Biopic – ‘Every Hour It Changes’

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Julia Garner

The long-awaited Madonna biopic has been in the works since 2020, with actress Julia Garner selected to play the queen of pop two years later. However, development has since stalled. Garner recently updated fans on the movie, saying its status changes daily. This comes months after Madonna herself spoke at length about the film and how its failure led to her new album, “Confessions II.”

Julia Garner Is Unsure if the Madonna Biopic Will Get Made

Garner appeared on CBS Sunday Morning in November 2026 with correspondent Anthony Mason. During the interview, the planned Madonna biopic came up, and Mason asked the three-time Emmy winner whether she believed the film would ever be made.

“I don’t know,” she began. Regarding the development status, she said, “Every hour it changes,” before saying, ” It’s not up to me.”

“I would love for the movie to get made, obviously, but I also feel, whatever happens, I made a great friend. I love Madonna,” she then said. In speaking about the icon, Garner called Madonna “incredible” and noted that the 68-year-old taught her “properly how to work” in regard to preparing for the movie, which included a grueling bootcamp.

The ‘Ozarks’ Star Previously Opened Up About Her Relationship with Madonna

Though the biopic has been shelved, Garner maintains a relationship with Madonna and even appeared as a younger version of the pop icon in her “Confessions II – The Film.”

When speaking to Elle about the experience in September, Garner said, “It was beyond! I always say it’s fine with the Italian queen!”

“It was incredible. I’ve never had an experience like that. Food’s terrible, by the way. I had some of the worst Italian food in my life. But Venice is incredible,” she continued.

After that, Garner shared that she was on texting terms with the pop legend. “She’s one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. Like actually. And people don’t know that,” she gushed.

When asked about the biopic, Garner stated, “I think the movie has to get made,” before adding, “But we’ll see…” From there, the actress said if she’s able to play Madonna, she won’t do it in a “safe” way.

According to her, “I just want to keep taking risks. I think that’s what’s going to resonate with people with my performances. That I gave everything, you know?”

Madonna Has Also Spoken About the Biopic

While promoting her 15th studio album, “Confessions II,” Madonna spoke to Interview Magazine, where the outlet asked the music icon about her intent behind the new music at this point in her career.

“I was supposed to make a movie about my life,” she began. “I worked on my script for two years and spent two years at Universal Studios with the line producers doing budgeting and casting.”

However, she added that she’d had a “falling out” with the studio over the proposed budget for the film.

In defending what she felt the movie’s budget should be, Madonna explained, “I’ve had an extraordinary life. I’ve had a huge life, so I needed a big budget. You know what I mean?”

“This went on for another eight or nine months. I was like, ‘Good thing I have another job because I need to work, I need to create. I need to do what I was put on this earth to do,'” she said regarding her new album.