It appears Julia Garner has her next acting gig lined up following Ozark's conclusion. After getting her big break as an actress on the Netflix hit series, she may have just landed an even bigger break now that she has been offered the role of the legendary singer Madonna in her upcoming biopic for Universal.
Garner was reportedly the frontrunner among over a dozen candidates, which included Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, and Odessa Young. Singers like Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira were also in consideration for the role. Reportedly, the audition process was gruelling, as all who sought the role required dancing and singing skills.
Variety recently reported that Garner has been offered the role of Madonna in the biopic. Pending any surprises, the 28-year-old actress is expected to accept the role of the pop icon. When the biopic had been greenlit, Madonna herself had said that she hoped that the movie would “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.” Evidently, Universal Studios believes Garner will do just that.
Not a whole lot of other details have been released regarding the film as of now. Donna Langley won the script in a bidding war with multiple studios, and Amy Pascal has been attached to the film as a producer. Besides those two details, nothing's been set in stone for the movie's supporting cast or director's chair, among other roles in the film. Now that the movie has its (most likely) lead, they should soon start focusing on the more minor details.
This could definitely be the role of a lifetime for Garner. Madonna's rise to the top as a singer and a sex icon was very well documented throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Madonna exploring her sexuality both as a singer and as a person was seen as very controversial for its time given how influential Christianity was during the peak of her popularity. Surely the film will delve into both her way of thinking while becoming a sex symbol in addition to dealing with the backlash from both tabloids and religious groups.
Given that Garner's first big role as an actress came when she played the headstrong but irreverent criminal Ruth Langmore in Ozark, this may very well be masterful casting as Madonna. Casting someone who has previously played identifiable but troubled characters to portray someone as well-known and "controversial" as the pop singer is a smart move because it's familiar territory for Garner. Margot Robbie's big break as an actor came when she played Naomi in The Wolf of Wall Street, which helped her get bigger roles as other troubled characters like Harley Quinn and Tonya Harding. Sebastian Stan showed the world his acting abilities when he played Jeff Gillooly in I, Tonya, and now he's played similarly troubled characters in Pam and Tommy and Fresh. Garner could possibly follow a similar career path.
The Madonna biopic is in development at Universal.
Source: Variety