Little Sparrow
Directed byMadonna
Written by
Produced byAmy Pascal
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Little Sparrow was the working title for a planned American biographical drama film based on the life and career of American entertainer Madonna, who was set to direct and co-write the film with Erin Cressida Wilson from a previous draft by Diablo Cody. However, the film production was postponed in January 2023.[1][2]

Plot

In a press release, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairwoman Donna Langley stated that the film will focus on Madonna's music career as well as the "broader, unvarnished story" of her life.[3]

Cast

Production

Background

Madonna at the 2017 Met Gala
Madonna at the 2017 Met Gala

In 2016, filmmaker Elyse Hollander's Blonde Ambition script for a biopic centered on Madonna's early career was the highest-voted project on that year's Black List ranking of the best unproduced Hollywood screenplays.[4] Universal Pictures acquired rights to Hollander's screenplay in April 2017, with Brett Ratner, Michael De Luca, and John Zaozirny of Bellevue Productions attached as producers.[5] Later that month, Madonna expressed disapproval over Universal's handling of the project in an Instagram post, stating “only I can tell my story. Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society.”[6][7]

Development

Madonna teased collaboration on a screenplay with screenwriter Diablo Cody via Instagram video in August 2020.[8] The following month, she formally announced that she would direct the biopic for Universal and would co-write the screenplay with Cody, with Amy Pascal set to produce.[9] In an Instagram Live, the singer revealed several plot details and confirmed that while the film would not be a movie musical, the actress portraying Madonna would sing her songs in a diegetic fashion.[10] Cody later departed from the project after turning in a final draft, with Erin Cressida Wilson stepping in as co-writer.[11][12]

In an October 2021 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Madonna claimed to have rejected several male-led attempts to create a movie about her life, and that her project would allow her to tell her own story with a woman's perspective.[13]

Madonna revealed the film's working title, Little Sparrow, on Instagram in February 2022.[14] That July, she described the script as "very long" to Variety, noting she was currently in the process of "whittling down" the material.[15] On January 24, 2023, it was reported that development has been a struggle, as none of the many drafts of the scripts was under 180 pages. This led conversations among insiders about perhaps splitting the movie in two parts or making it into miniseries.[16]

Casting

A March 2022 article in The Hollywood Reporter detailed the months-long audition process for the lead role, which involved 11-hour choreography sessions with Madonna's choreographer for the top contenders. Actresses considered included Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, Julia Garner, Odessa Young, Emma Laird, Barbie Ferreira and Sydney Sweeney, along with singers Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira.[11][17] Actress Julia Fox met with Madonna earlier that year to discuss the role of Debi Mazar, actress and longtime friend of the singer.[18][19] On June 8, 2022, it was announced that Garner has been offered the role of Madonna.[20] Stuart Heritage from The Guardian, called "one of the most berserk audition processes in motion picture history".[21]

Postponement

On January 24, 2023, the film was confirmed to be placed on hold, with Madonna opting to instead focus on the Celebration Tour, her upcoming world tour.[2][1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic At Universal Not Moving Forward". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Donnelly, Matt (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic Starring Julia Garner Scrapped as Singer Embarks on World Tour (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gilblom, Kelly. "niversal to Develop Madonna Biopic, Joining Music-Movie Craze". Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  4. ↑ McNary, Dave (December 12, 2016). "Madonna Biopic 'Blond Ambition' Tops 2016 Black List". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  5. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 24, 2017). "Madonna Biopic 'Blonde Ambition' in the Works at Universal". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 25, 2017). "Madonna Disapproves of 'Blonde Ambition' Biopic". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  7. ↑ Madonna. "Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen. Only I can tell my story. 📚Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool. 🤡. Looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society. ✍️🙃(Instagram Post)". Instagram. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  8. ↑ Shafer, Ellise (August 8, 2020). "Madonna Says She's Working on a Secret Screenplay With 'Juno' Writer Diablo Cody". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (September 15, 2020). "Madonna to Direct Her Biopic, Co-Written by Diablo Cody for Universal". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ Nolfi, Joey. "Madonna reveals plot details for biopic movie: Andy Warhol, 'Vogue' dancers, Evita, more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Kit, Borys; Galuppo, Mia (March 2, 2022). "The Search for Madonna: Inside the Auditions for the Material Girl's Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ Nolfi, Joey. "Diablo Cody didn't 'quit' Madonna biopic despite reports: studio source". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ White, Abbey (October 8, 2021). "Madonna Calls Past Attempts at a Movie About Her Life 'Hideous Superficial Crap' From Men". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ n.a. (February 3, 2022). "Little Sparrow Set to detail the life and legacy of the superstar, Madonna reveals the title of her self-written biopic". Wonderland Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  15. ↑ Halperin, Shirley; Wass, Mike (July 27, 2022). "Madonna on 'Ride or Die' Guy Oseary, the Bored Ape That Got Away and Her Upcoming Biopic: 'No One's Going to Tell My Story but Me'". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ Galuppo, Mia; Kit, Borys (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic Dead at Universal". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  17. ↑ Munzenrieder, Kyle (February 28, 2022). "Madonna Has Reportedly Auditioned Two Euphoria Actresses for Her Biopic". W Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  18. ↑ Nolfi, Joey. "Julia Fox met with Madonna to discuss potential Debi Mazar role in new biopic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  19. ↑ Nolfi, Joey. "Debi Mazar reacts to Julia Fox potentially playing her in Madonna biopic: 'I'd obviously be flattered'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  20. ↑ Ramin Setoodeh, Matt Donnelly (June 7, 2022). "Julia Garner Offered Madonna Role in Universal Biopic". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  21. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (January 25, 2023). "Madonna bootcamp was gruelling, intense and, it turns out, completely pointless". The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
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