January 26, 20214 yr Any ideas of how much of Madonna's career the biopic will cover? We know she's been revisiting the 'Erotica' era, so maybe 'Ray of Light' could be the climax, particularly around the time of the Grammys, so that the film can end on a high. I'm not settling for anything other than Live to Tell as the title.
January 31, 20214 yr Author Ending at the Grammys would be a nice touch! End it on an almighty high and one of the peaks of her entire career (and just following on the birth of Lourdes)! Then part 2 looks at the decades after that with the Guy drama, life as a mother, battling ageism etc.
April 2, 20214 yr I’m assuming Diablo might have wanted to have a certain narrative suitable for a Hollywood film and Madonna wanted it to be exactly as it was? Bohemian Rhapsody for instance was a great film but not historically accurate. It’s a shame though, from the insta videos they seemed to have had a good relationship. Edit: Reading further into it, apparently it’s common for films to go through various writers so maybe it’s not a case of Diablo being fired as such, but they’ve just gone as far as they need to. I don’t know, hopefully things are still on track.
April 2, 20214 yr Author Oh gosh! I really hope it is a natural switch and not a firing or dispute as you say...
April 3, 20214 yr Entertainment Weekly is reporting Diablo Cody finished her work on the screenplay and is just moving on to the next project. No riff. Granted, that could be studio spin. But at the same time, I *think* (?) Entertainment Weekly is viewed as a more reputable source than the places reporting Diablo Cody quit because of problems with Madonna. It would certainly help if one of them just came forward and made a comment...put it all to bed. That said, Madonna does have a long history of going to war with her film collaborators. Who knows? Maybe her collaborators deserved it on some of those occasions...but I genuinely hope everything's okay with Diablo Cody. Cody is the element that's giving me the most hope for this project. She's the absolute perfect person to pen this story. While having Madonna collaborate on the screenplay was the right action, I see her directing as likely to be a disaster. Madonna's trended for all the wrong reasons for years at this point. A biopic has a lot of potential to rehab her image and remind the public what amazing music she created. A director like Patty Jenkins would have the right mix of mainstream sensibilities and edginess to pull this off. Madonna the filmmaker? I could easily see this getting perceived as a titanic ego trip, and I don't know how Universal isn't nervous about this considering the reception to most of Madonna's other movies.
April 4, 20214 yr This source is saying she didn’t quit, she just turned in her final draft script and moved on to her next projects: https://ew.com/movies/madonna-biopic-diablo...Lls8sCHWtsCuFcE
April 4, 20214 yr Yep, surely she cannot just stay in the project for years, she did the script and that's it.
October 21, 20213 yr Author She has shared on Instagram that the biopic is almost finished! I assume she means the script. In the hashtags, she has named 'Secretary' screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson.
January 26, 20223 yr Madonna goes (IG) Live BY MADONNATRIBE · JANUARY 26, 2022 Madonna spent almost half an hour live on Instagram together with screenwriter Erin Wilson last night, talking about her ongoing biopic project and answering questions about new music and going on tour again. The updates Madonna shared about the biopic took the most part of the live: we learn that she’s tweaking the script but she’s also still pondering over whether it should be released as a long movie or a series – with one year per episode for example – because she has so much to tell. Madonna explained she wants to talk a lot about her childhood. She complained that people would sit for eight hours binging a series but not sit for an eight hour film. She said: “I’m curious to know would people rather watch a movie of my life like part 1, part 2, part 3 like the godfather 1, godfather 2, godfather 3 kind of thing or would they rather watch a series? So it’s like 1981 is one episode 1982, 1983 – I’m so curious how to present it, this story to people because there is so much.” She made it very clear she’s a film fan, though: “I love film, I’m a lover of film so it’s hard for me, it’s a conundrum.” One interesting bit was Madonna discussing the fans’ suggestions for a title. Blonde Ambition (with an e!), What it Feels Like for a Girl, Nobody Knows Me (which she loved a lot, trying to figure out of “have you seen Nobody Knows Me” would sound like), My Name Is Madonna, and Live to Tell were mentioned. Lucky Star (“this is not about luck”), Cherish and Like a Prayer didn’t impressed her much. Someone suggested Who’s That Girl and she liked it but then she was reminded it had been done before and she said “Oh really?” Madonna also explained she realised how time consuming the movie project is but she can’t wait to make new music so she’s wondering whether she could do it while working on the biopic. She’s working on something music related with others that is not the remix album or the Swae Lee collaboration. She will definitely go on a world tour again in stadiums and teased about being on stage again with Britney and re-enacting the VMAs kiss. At one point Erin told Madonna not to make music for a year and to just get the biopic done, which she seemed surprised at.
January 27, 20223 yr Author ^ interesting! I love the discussion of the names for the biopic. How she disregarded Lucky Star because her journey isn't about luck, her forgetting Who's That Girl and I think my favourite new suggestion is 'Nobody Knows Me' - also 'Live To Tell' still reigns supreme.
January 27, 20223 yr Live to Tell is undoubtedly the better title here... though I do like What it Feels Like For a Girl - though that might be a bit long and no-one outside her fanbase would probably remember that single. If she does a movie it should be just one - couple of hours long. Having a trilogy could end in diminishing returns and if the earlier ones didn't perform well the others could end up not being made. Same with the series... might be a good way to go, but I wouldn't want it to be cancelled before it got to the end. At the same time, it would be on a streaming service and become available quite quickly anyway.
February 2, 20223 yr My personal favourite remains 'Live to Tell' but I would be happy with 'Blond Ambition' too (that would easily be the most recognisable/general public-friendly title). 'Nobody Knows Me' is good but probably too negative/defensive for a biopic visual autobiography.
February 6, 20223 yr If I'm honest, I remain puzzled how she could be working on the script this long and be "tweaking" it...yet still be uncertain if this is a single film or a series. I feel like the format should have been set long before two screenwriters took a crack at it. Does her distributor not have certain expectations? I remain torn on all of this. In all likelihood, I still think her directing is going to end in disaster. With her sensibilities these days, I think she's going to create something overly pretentious with chaotic, hard-to-follow music sections. Hers is a story that belongs on the big screen. But I really wish she were collaborating with a solid, established director. It could be the re-establishing of a grand career. The flip side is...an artist directing their own music autobiography IS an interesting concept...and no matter how it turns out, it won't be dull. With her at the helm, I lean toward her doing a series. I think the world is more forgiving of that format. Plus, if the appeal of this project is to get the major events of a career...through the eyes of the artist...a series is just going to allow her to cover all the important beats. An eight-episode series sounds about right to me. Netflix hopefully...to reach the most eyeballs.
February 6, 20223 yr Author I am currently watching Janet's 4-part documentary. It's an incredible insight into the artist and I pray Madonna's is similar in truthfulness and heart. Also having it split over 4 episodes is a great way of doing it I think - maybe an episode for each decade of her career?
February 6, 20223 yr Where can one watch it? Madonna creating her own biopic is sounds scary to say the least. She is not really known for nuances and artistic vision when it comes to movies.
February 6, 20223 yr If she were to go the series route, I feel one hour episodes could be the way to go...looking something like this; Episode 1: Beginnings Childhood and impact of mother's death. Establish important relationships (like the dynamics with her father and brother Christopher). Go into what sparked her love of performing. Cover her move to New York...the odd jobs...her Breakfast Club days...the recording of her first album. Episode 2: Breakthrough The ascent to superstardom. First MTV performance. Live Aid and a stadium tour puts her on the global stage as one of the biggest stars on the planet. The volatile Sean Penn romance. Desperately Seeking Susan seems to promise success in film...but the failure of Shanghai Surprise, Who's That Girl, and a stage play show she's not invincible. Episode 3: Controversy Like A Prayer/Pepsi controversy. Blonde Ambition tour met with both praise and heavy criticism. M brings gay culture into a more mainstream place...including the Vogue release. Erotica album. The Sex book. Body of Evidence. A Letterman appearance goes off the rails. She's shattering taboos...but is that causing a backlash? Episode 4: Motherhood An intentional attempt to soften her image after Erotica comes with the release of BedTime Stories. Evita is a new bid for credibility...and is met with some career-best reviews...but is also an Oscar snub. The birth of her daughter brings new perspective to her world. Episode 5: Acceptance Ray of Light brings the best reviews of her career...including Grammy attention. The praise continues with Music. The industry is giving a respect she's never felt before. Drowned World tour is a huge success. Guy Richie relationship seems to bring new level of happiness and stability. And all was well forever...? Episode 6: Ageism Ray of Light/Music did not signal a permanent acceptance by the music industry. Guy Richie was not the one. Her life and career continue ups and downs. Going political with the American Life album campaign is met with division. The hits dry up. Ageism is at work. M does what she always did...refuse to do what people expect of her. So. Maybe I feel like six one-hour episodes could cover it (you can tell I didn't have enough to do this morning).
