Madonna made it through the wilderness, and now you’ll get to see her origin story on the big screen.
Universal Pictures has picked up “Blond Ambition,” based on a buzzy script that appeared on 2016’s Black List, the annual survey that ranks well-liked unproduced Hollywood screenplays. It’s the work of first-time feature writer Elyse Hollander, who sets the story in the early 1980s as Madonna works to get her career off the ground within the misogynistic music industry, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“Blond Ambition” topped the Black List last year, which is a sign of hope for a subject that’s tricky to pull off given Madonna’s larger-than-life fame. There’s no word on casting yet, but the script presents Madonna, who moved from Detroit to New York in 1978 to pursue dancing and singing, prioritizing her career over young love. During those intervening years, the broke singer lived in an abandoned synagogue and low-rent apartments while working odd jobs, playing in a punk band and performing with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
According to Vulture, the film also focuses on the early days of MTV and Madonna’s romantic relationship with John “Jellybean” Benitez, who produced her 1983 debut album. The script reportedly culminates with Madonna’s groundbreaking “Like a Virgin” performance at the 1984 MTV Video Music Awards.
HuffPost reached out to Madonna’s rep to ask if she has any involvement with the movie and whether she’ll allow her music to be used, but we didn’t hear back. Madonna has always wielded control over her image, so it would seem out of character for her to endorse someone else’s take on her life. That said, two producers involved do have ties to the singer. Universal executive Michael De Luca produced “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me,” for which Madonna recorded the song “Beautiful Stranger,” and Brett Ratner, whose production company is partnering with Universal on the project, directed the “Beautiful Stranger” music video.
There’s no word on when “Blond Ambition” will begin production or who might direct the movie, which takes its name from Madonna’s celebrated 1990 world tour.
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UPDATE: Madonna has apparently responded to the news on Instagram.
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