The Madonna movie biopic will finally happen … sort of.
Back in 2023, Universal Pictures pulled the plug on a biopic that the Material Girl herself would have directed starring Ozark’s Julia Garner as the pop star. At the time, Madonna opted to shelve her directing debut in favor of going on a world tour.
Now, the biopic will be a plotline in Season 2 of The Studio, with both Madonna and Garner appearing in the show as themselves. In the show, Matt Remick’s (Seth Rogen) Continental Studios makes the film with Madonna and Garner involved.
Variety’s sources claims “Madonna will appear in a two-episode arc” in Season 2.
Paparazzi have snapped shots of Madonna and Garner on the set in Venice, Italy, along with the main cast of The Studio. They’re apparently filming scenes replicating the Venice Film Festival where Madonna and Garner’s characters are there to promote the film amid Oscar buzz. In March, Madonna posted a social media video (seen below) of her and Garner reenacting the “Like a Virgin” music video on a gondola in Venice.
Like A Virgin……again and again. 🇮🇹 #juliagarner pic.twitter.com/aCeuJOMNdz
— Madonna (@Madonna) March 23, 2026
“Another insider close to production said that, in The Studio, Madonna will not play the director of her fictional biopic. Emmy winner Donald Glover was also photographed on the Italian set with the singer and Garner, so we’ll let you draw your own conclusions,” Variety adds.
“And, as many industry insiders predicted, the back half of Madonna’s episodes focuses on the all-important debate around journalists timing festival standing ovations to provide a sense of how films will play in the wider world.”
Madonna hasn’t acted in 23 years, with her final screen appearances being in the sitcom Will & Grace and the widely panned drama Swept Away, directed by her then-husband Guy Ritchie.
Before that, the “Like a Prayer” and “Vogue” singer appeared in the films Desperately Seeking Susan, Dick Tracy, A League of Their Own, Who’s That Girl, Shanghai Surprise, Body of Evidence, Die Another Day, Shadows and Fog, and Four Rooms.
Madonna won the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress – Comedy or Musical for Evita, based on the acclaimed Broadway musical.
(Thumbnail photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
