A musical biopic about Madonna has been in the works for years — at least since 2017, when Universal bought the rights to a well regarded Black List script about her life titled Blonde Ambition by Elyse Hollander. The screenplay generated headlines after Universal purchased the rights because Madonna herself was not pleased to see someone else telling her story, writing on Instagram at the time “Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen. Only I can tell my story.”

Now she will get her chance, as Universal announced today that they are now partnering with Madonna about a movie of her own life. She will direct the film and co-write the script with Oscar winner Diablo Cody. Here is Madonna’s statement on the announcement, via The Hollywood Reporter:

I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer – a human being, trying to make her way in this world. The focus of this film will always be music.  Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive.  There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me.  It’s essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision.

Musical biopics continue to gross lots of money (Bohemian Rhapsody’s worldwide box office total: $903 million) and win awards (Bohemian Rhapsody’s Oscar total: Five nominations and four awards, including Best Actor). They’ve become one of Hollywood’s most dependable genres. A musician actually writing and directing their own story is a new and interesting wrinkle, however, particularly since biopics are so often dinged for homogenizing history to suit the demands of a mainstream audience. It’s hard to imagine a biopic being more true to its subject’s life — or at least its subject’s perspective on their own life — than this one.

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