Madonna Biopic ‘Blonde Ambition’ in the Works
UPDATE: Madonna has come out against the planned biopic Blonde Ambition, writing on Instagram, “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.”
Blonde Ambition, a Black List-winning screenplay about Madonna‘s early years as a recording artist in New York City, has been picked up by Universal.
The script, penned by Elyse Hollander, focuses on Madonna’s life in the early Eighties as she works on her debut album while trying to break into a music industry Madonna herself has called misogynistic.
The film will also highlight the Material Girl balancing her burgeoning fame with her love life, the Hollywood Reporter writes.
While it’s unclear whether the project is Madonna-approved, among Blonde Ambition‘s producers is Brett Ratner, who directed the singer’s “Beautiful Stranger” video in 1999.
It’s also unknown whether Universal has secured rights to use Madonna’s early hits like “Holiday,” “Lucky Star,” “Borderline” and other Madonna-era hits.
Blonde Ambition is the second straight music-related script to win the Black List, Hollywood’s annual breakdown of the best unproduced screenplays, and move into the development phase: Bubbles, a script about Michael Jackson’s pet chimpanzee, is also in the works as a stop-motion film, with Dan Harmon producing and Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi on board to co-direct.
Previous Black List scripts that turned into Best Picture-winning or nominated films include Spotlight, The Revenant, Argo, American Hustle and more.