Little Sparrow (film)

Last updated

Little Sparrow
Directed by Madonna
Written by
Produced by Amy Pascal
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Little Sparrow was the working title for a planned American biographical drama film based on the life and career of American entertainer Madonna, who was set to direct and co-write the film with Erin Cressida Wilson from a previous draft by Diablo Cody. However, the film production was postponed in January 2023. [1] [2]

Contents

Plot

In a press release, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairwoman Donna Langley stated that the film will focus on Madonna's music career as well as the "broader, unvarnished story" of her life. [3]

Production

Background

Madonna at the 2017 Met Gala Madonna at the 2017 Met Gala (cropped).png
Madonna at the 2017 Met Gala

In 2016, filmmaker Elyse Hollander's Blonde Ambition script for a biopic centered on Madonna's early career was the highest-voted project on that year's Black List ranking of the best unproduced Hollywood screenplays. [4] Universal Pictures acquired rights to Hollander's screenplay in April 2017, with Brett Ratner, Michael De Luca, and John Zaozirny of Bellevue Productions attached as producers. [5] Later that month, Madonna expressed disapproval over Universal's handling of the project in an Instagram post, stating "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." [6] [7]

Development

Madonna teased collaboration on a screenplay with screenwriter Diablo Cody via Instagram video in August 2020. [8] The following month, she formally announced that she would direct the biopic for Universal and would co-write the screenplay with Cody, with Amy Pascal set to produce. [9] In an Instagram Live, the singer revealed several plot details and confirmed that while the film would not be a movie musical, the actress portraying Madonna would sing her songs in a diegetic fashion. [10] Cody later departed from the project after turning in a final draft, with Erin Cressida Wilson stepping in as co-writer. [11] [12]

In an October 2021 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon , Madonna claimed to have rejected several male-led attempts to create a movie about her life, and that her project would allow her to tell her own story with a woman's perspective. [13]

Madonna revealed the film's working title, Little Sparrow, on Instagram in February 2022. [14] That July, she described the script as "very long" to Variety , noting she was currently in the process of "whittling down" the material. [15] On January 24, 2023, it was reported that development has been a struggle, as none of the many drafts of the scripts was under 180 pages. This led conversations among insiders about perhaps splitting the movie in two parts or making it into a miniseries. [16]

Casting

A March 2022 article in The Hollywood Reporter detailed the months-long audition process for the lead role, which involved 11-hour choreography sessions with Madonna's choreographer for the top contenders. Actresses considered included Florence Pugh, Alexa Demie, Julia Garner, Odessa Young, Emma Laird, Barbie Ferreira and Sydney Sweeney, along with singers Bebe Rexha and Sky Ferreira. [11] [17] Actress Julia Fox met with Madonna earlier that year to discuss the role of Debi Mazar, actress and longtime friend of the singer. [18] [19] On June 8, 2022, it was announced that Garner has been offered the role of Madonna. [20] Stuart Heritage from The Guardian , called "one of the most berserk audition processes in motion picture history". [21]

Postponement

On January 24, 2023, the film was confirmed to be placed on hold, with Madonna opting to instead focus on the Celebration Tour, her first retrospective tour. [2] [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debi Mazar</span> American actress

Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos is an American actress and television personality. She began her career with supporting roles in Goodfellas (1990), Little Man Tate (1991) and Singles (1992), followed by lead roles on the legal drama series Civil Wars and L.A. Law. She portrayed press agent Shauna Roberts on the HBO series Entourage. She also starred as Maggie Amato on TV Land's longest running original series, Younger, and alongside her husband Gabriele Corcos in the Cooking Channel series Extra Virgin.

Working Title Films Limited is a British film studio that produces motion pictures and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division of NBCUniversal, which is itself a division of Comcast. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. Bevan and Eric Fellner are now the co-chairmen of the company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diablo Cody</span> American writer and producer

Brook Maurio, known professionally as Diablo Cody, is an American writer and producer. She gained recognition for her candid blog and subsequent memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper (2005). Cody received critical acclaim for her screenwriting debut film, Juno (2007), winning both the Academy Award and the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Juno</i> (film) 2007 American film by Jason Reitman

Juno is a 2007 American coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody. Elliot Page stars as the title character, an independent-minded teenager confronting her unplanned pregnancy and the subsequent events that put pressures of adult life onto her. Michael Cera, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Allison Janney and J. K. Simmons also star. Filming spanned from early February to March 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia. It premiered on September 8 at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, receiving a standing ovation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erin Cressida Wilson</span> American dramatist

Erin Cressida Wilson is an American playwright, screenwriter, professor, and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sofia Boutella</span> Algerian and French actress, dancer and model (born 1982)

Sofia Boutella is an Algerian actress, dancer and model. She is known for her roles in the films Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014), Star Trek Beyond (2016), The Mummy (2017), Climax (2018), Rebel Moon (2023) and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024).

Echo Films is an American production company founded in April 2008 by American actress Jennifer Aniston and her production partner Kristin Hahn. Echo Films has a production deal with Universal Pictures. The company produces projects for both film and television. Most of the projects star Jennifer Aniston.

<i>Burlesque</i> (2010 American film) 2010 American film starring Cher and Christina Aguilera

Burlesque is a 2010 American backstage musical film written and directed by Steven Antin. It stars Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Stanley Tucci, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, and Peter Gallagher, and features cameos from Dianna Agron, and James Brolin. The film tells the story of Ali (Aguilera), an aspiring singer who leaves her small hometown for Los Angeles, where she becomes a dancer at a struggling burlesque lounge owned by Tess (Cher). After a performance is sabotaged by her rival, Nikki (Bell), Ali sings the song herself, impressing Tess and leading to her becoming the main attraction of the lounge. Burlesque marks Aguilera's first leading role, as well as Cher's first musical performance on screen.

<i>Lovelace</i> (film) 2013 film directed by Jeffrey Friedman and Rob Epstein

Lovelace is a 2013 American biographical drama film centered on porn actress Linda Lovelace, star of Deep Throat, a landmark 1972 film at the forefront of the Golden Age of Porn. Lovelace covers her life from age 21 to 32.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia Garner</span> American actress (born 1994)

Julia Garner is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as Ruth Langmore in the Netflix crime drama series Ozark (2017–2022), for which she received critical acclaim and won three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Chazelle</span> American filmmaker (born 1985)

Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American filmmaker. He directed the psychological drama Whiplash (2014), the musical romantic drama La La Land (2016), the biographical drama First Man (2018), and the period film Babylon (2022).

<i>Steve Jobs</i> (film) 2015 film directed by Danny Boyle

Steve Jobs is a 2015 biographical drama film directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin. A British-American co-production, it was adapted from the 2011 biography by Walter Isaacson and interviews conducted by Sorkin. The film covers fourteen years in the life of Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs, specifically ahead of three press conferences he gave during that time - the formal unveiling of the Macintosh 128K on January 24, 1984; the unveiling of the NeXT Computer on October 12, 1988; and the unveiling of the iMac G3 on May 6, 1998. Jobs is portrayed by Michael Fassbender, with Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman and Seth Rogen, Katherine Waterston, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Jeff Daniels in supporting roles.

Krysty Norma Lesley Wilson-Cairns is a Scottish screenwriter. Born and raised in Glasgow, she studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Film and Television School. During her teenage years, she was a runner on television series including the detective show Taggart. Her script for the unproduced science fiction thriller Aether made the 2014 Black List and led to a staff writer role on the television show Penny Dreadful. Her feature film debut was the screenplay for the Sam Mendes-directed 2019 war film 1917. She co-wrote it with Mendes and received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Elvis</i> (2022 film) Film by Baz Luhrmann

Elvis is a 2022 epic biographical drama film co-produced and directed by Baz Luhrmann, who co-wrote the screenplay with Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce, and Jeremy Doner. It chronicles the life of the American rock and roll singer and actor Elvis Presley under the management of Colonel Tom Parker. It stars Austin Butler and Tom Hanks as Presley and Parker, respectively, with Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Luke Bracey in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freckle Films</span> American film and television production company

Freckle Films is an American film and television production company. It was founded by Jessica Chastain in 2016. The company's projects include the biopics The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021) and George & Tammy (2022), both starring Chastain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chanté Adams</span> American actress (b. 1994)

Chanté Adams is an American actress. She starred in the 2017 biopic Roxanne Roxanne, for which she received the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Breakthrough Performance.

<i>Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody</i> 2022 film by Kasi Lemmons

Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a 2022 American biographical musical drama film directed by Kasi Lemmons, from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, based on the life and career of American pop icon and actress Whitney Houston. The film stars Naomi Ackie as Houston with Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams, and Clarke Peters in supporting roles.

<i>CODA</i> (2021 film) Film by Sian Heder

CODA is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Sian Heder. An English-language remake of the 2014 French-Belgian film La Famille Bélier, it stars Emilia Jones as Ruby Rossi, the child of deaf adults (CODA) and only hearing member of her family, who attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business while pursuing her aspirations to become a singer.

<i>Weird: The Al Yankovic Story</i> 2022 film by Eric Appel

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story is a 2022 American biographical musical parody film directed by Eric Appel, in his feature directorial debut, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Al Yankovic. The film is a satire on musical biopics and is loosely based on Yankovic's life and career as an accordionist and parody songwriter. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as Yankovic, along with Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson, Toby Huss and Julianne Nicholson in supporting roles.

<i>Lisa Frankenstein</i> 2024 film by Zelda Williams

Lisa Frankenstein is a 2024 American comedy horror film directed by Zelda Williams, in her feature-length directorial debut, and written by Diablo Cody. The film stars Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Liza Soberano, Henry Eikenberry, Joe Chrest, and Carla Gugino. The plot follows a misunderstood teenage goth girl who meets and develops a relationship with a reanimated Victorian-era corpse. Cody stated that Lisa Frankenstein is set in the same fictional universe as Jennifer's Body.

References

  1. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic At Universal Not Moving Forward". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Donnelly, Matt (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic Starring Julia Garner Scrapped as Singer Embarks on World Tour (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved January 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ Gilblom, Kelly (September 15, 2020). "Universal to Develop Madonna Biopic, Joining Music-Movie Craze" . Bloomberg . Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  4. ↑ McNary, Dave (December 12, 2016). "Madonna Biopic 'Blond Ambition' Tops 2016 Black List". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  5. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 24, 2017). "Madonna Biopic 'Blonde Ambition' in the Works at Universal". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  6. ↑ McNary, Dave (April 25, 2017). "Madonna Disapproves of 'Blonde Ambition' Biopic". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  7. ↑ @Madonna (April 25, 2017). "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. ✍️🙃". Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2022– via Instagram.
  8. ↑ Shafer, Ellise (August 8, 2020). "Madonna Says She's Working on a Secret Screenplay With 'Juno' Writer Diablo Cody". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  9. ↑ Donnelly, Matt (September 15, 2020). "Madonna to Direct Her Biopic, Co-Written by Diablo Cody for Universal". Variety. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  10. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (September 11, 2020). "Madonna reveals plot details for biopic movie: Andy Warhol, 'Vogue' dancers, Evita, more". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  11. 1 2 Kit, Borys; Galuppo, Mia (March 2, 2022). "The Search for Madonna: Inside the Auditions for the Material Girl's Biopic". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  12. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (April 2, 2021). "Diablo Cody didn't 'quit' Madonna biopic despite reports: studio source". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  13. ↑ White, Abbey (October 8, 2021). "Madonna Calls Past Attempts at a Movie About Her Life 'Hideous Superficial Crap' From Men". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Little Sparrow Set to detail the life and legacy of the superstar, Madonna reveals the title of her self-written biopic". Wonderland Magazine. February 3, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  15. ↑ Halperin, Shirley; Wass, Mike (July 27, 2022). "Madonna on 'Ride or Die' Guy Oseary, the Bored Ape That Got Away and Her Upcoming Biopic: 'No One's Going to Tell My Story but Me'". Variety. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  16. ↑ Galuppo, Mia; Kit, Borys (January 24, 2023). "Madonna Biopic Dead at Universal". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  17. ↑ Munzenrieder, Kyle (February 28, 2022). "Madonna Has Reportedly Auditioned Two Euphoria Actresses for Her Biopic". W Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  18. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (January 15, 2022). "Julia Fox met with Madonna to discuss potential Debi Mazar role in new biopic". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  19. ↑ Nolfi, Joey (January 19, 2022). "Debi Mazar reacts to Julia Fox potentially playing her in Madonna biopic: 'I'd obviously be flattered'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  20. ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin; Donnelly, Matt (June 7, 2022). "Julia Garner Offered Madonna Role in Universal Biopic". Variety. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  21. ↑ Heritage, Stuart (January 25, 2023). "Madonna bootcamp was gruelling, intense and, it turns out, completely pointless" . The Guardian. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.