Madonna is reportedly stepping back into the world of screen storytelling — this time with Netflix and Deadpool & Wolverine director Shawn Levy — for a new limited series inspired by her life and career.
According to Deadline, the series is in early development, with Levy attached as an executive producer. The exact scope of Madonna’s own involvement remains unclear, though the Queen of Pop is known for maintaining tight creative control over her legacy.
Importantly, the new project appears to be completely separate from the long-rumored biopic that was once in the works at Universal Pictures. That project — which Madonna had been directing and co-writing alongside Diablo Cody (Juno) and later Erin Cressida Wilson (The Girl on the Train) — was scrapped in 2023 ahead of her massively successful Celebration Tour.
Fans may recall that actress Julia Garner (Ozark, Inventing Anna) had already been cast as a young Madonna for the now-abandoned film. Garner is reportedly still attached to the Netflix series, though casting details are still developing.
Netflix has not yet revealed the timeline, title, or plot focus of the series — whether it will explore Madonna’s turbulent early rise in New York’s downtown scene, her 1980s superstardom, or her later reinventions. But the project is shaping up to be a reimagined effort to bring Madonna’s singular story to the screen — one she previously said must be told “with [her] voice and vision.”
In a statement back in 2020 about her then-active film project, Madonna said:
“I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on — as an artist, a musician, a dancer, a human being. There are so many untold and inspiring stories, and who better to tell it than me?”
Netflix’s interest in such a high-profile subject aligns with its push into prestige music biographies and documentary-style storytelling. Madonna, whose cultural impact spans four decades, remains a trailblazer in both music and fashion.
Meanwhile, her Celebration Tour — which wrapped in May 2024 — grossed $225.4 million from 80 shows and sold over 1.2 million tickets, marking one of the most successful tours of her career.
As buzz around the limited series builds, fans are hopeful it will be a compelling and unflinching look at the life of one of pop’s most iconic and polarizing figures.
Stay tuned for updates as Netflix develops this long-awaited Madonna screen project.