The casting process for the upcoming Madonna biopic reportedly involves "grueling" 11-hour auditions that include intense choreography sessions with the star herself. Madonna's biopic has so far had a rocky road to get to its current pre-production stage. The project, which is being helmed by the "Material Girl" singer, saw its writer Diablo Cody (who scored an Oscar for her work on 2007's Juno) drop out of the project in its early stages, citing creative differences. Now, writer Erin Wilson has signed on to write the project that will be distributed by Universal.
The biopic will tell the story of Madonna's early years and detail her experience of arriving in New York as a young girl with dreams of becoming a dancer. After it was first announced that Madonna would be bringing the story of her journey to icon status to the big screen, a number of stars have since been linked to the project. Last year, Hawkeye star, Florence Pugh was rumored to be in the running for the role, with Madonna even teasing that the star may have been in a favorable position for the casting. More recently, Alexa Demie (Euphoria), Julia Garner (Inventing Anna) and singer Bebe Rehxa have all been linked to the project and now, new details have emerged about the biopic's somewhat intense audition process.
Per THR, auditions are currently taking place for the biopic and have been described as "grueling" with sources reporting that the process involves intense choreography sessions with both Madonna herself and her choreographer, with some even reportedly running for "up to 11-hours a day." Following a call back at this stage, the stars are then asked to partake in a number of singing and reading sessions with the "Vogue" singer, with one source sharing that whoever ends up securing the role will "have to be able to do everything."
The intense nature of these auditions is likely due to Madonna's ambition of creating a film that is as true to her real-life experience as possible. The singer recently revealed that writing the film with Wilson was "really therapeutic" despite the fact it was a "long and arduous process." Details surrounding the project have been few and far between thus far, but the film is rumored to details the singer's lead-up to her 1990s Blonde Ambition tour.
Madonna has always been known for her strong vocal talents and incredible stage presence, therefore, it's not surprising that the singer feels as though the actor who portrays her should be able to match these qualities. Given the caliber of names that are currently linked to this project, it certainly appears as though the role is a highly coveted one amongst Hollywood's young stars. For now, it's not known when the biopic is scheduled to begin filming but given that the casting process appears to be in full swing, it may not be long until more concrete news begins to emerge about the project. For now, audiences will have to wait and see just who will meet Madonna's insanely high standards and make the cut.
Source: THR