Madonna to Direct Madonna Biopic

Madonna is set to direct her own biopic, Variety reports.

The popstar is also co-writing the film with Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Madonna has been posting photos and videos of their writing sessions on social media for the past few months). The as-yet-untitled film will be produced under the Universal Pictures umbrella, although neither a production timeline nor a cast has been announced.

In a statement, 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, 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.”

Producer Amy Pascal — who will work on the project and previously worked with Madonna on the 1992 classic A League of Their Own — said: “This movie is an absolute labor of love for me. I have known Madonna since we made A League of Their Own together, and I can’t imagine anything more thrilling than collaborating with her and Diablo on bringing her true-life story to the big screen with [Universal executive] Donna [Langley] and our partners at Universal.”

The Madonna biopic won’t be Madonna’s directorial debut, as it follows two past efforts, 2008’s Filth and Wisdom and 2011’s W.E. (for the latter, she also earned a Golden Globe for Best Original Song for “Masterpiece”). Still, a person directing their own biopic is a largely unprecedented creative move, although it is perhaps the logical next step following the heavy involvement of Elton John and the surviving members of Queen in their respective biopics, Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody.

As an actress, Madonna’s last major film role was providing voice-over work in the 2006 animated film, Arthur and the Invisibles. Her most recent album, Madame X, was released last year.