Little Sparrow (film)

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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

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. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic At Universal Not Moving Forward". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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.

External links

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