Last week, it was announced that the planned biopic of Madonna (which was rumored to be directed by the singer herself) had been scrapped by Universal Pictures because Madonna is set to go out on a world tour. She might be kind of busy.
However, even though the picture isn’t moving forward, Universal Pictures will have to pay a pretty penny for a film that will never see the light of day.
A source told OK! Magazine that the project could end up costing the studio upwards of $10 million, including “millions” in licensing fees as well as having to pay the director attached to the film.
The source said, “When you spend millions and millions on a project without a final script, there’s going to be a gut-check moment, and that’s what happened here.”
The source also noted it’s not just a monetary loss for the studio, either.
The audition process alone, which reportedly involved a boot camp and multiple actresses auditioning for a chance to play Madonna, “took months of everybody’s time.”
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