Earlier this week The Hollywood Reporter broke the news that Universal Studios had signed on to produce a biopic tracking the early years of Madonna’s career. The project, based on Elyse Hollander’s Black List script, would be called Blond Ambition, and cover the lead up to her self-titled debut album and the resulting fame afforded by breakthrough tracks like Holiday and Lucky Star.
The internet immediately responded to the news with excitement, quickly speculating over who would be capable of taking on the impossible task of being Madonna — our pick was her daughter Lourdes. But one person isn’t trembling with anticipation — the Material Girl herself.
The 58-year-old icon took to Instagram to make her feelings clear, writing: “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.” In a following, now deleted post, she shared a page of the script calling it “lies and exploitation,” and directly disputing many basic facts including where she was born, and that she attended the University of Michigan.
The only problem, as Vulture pointed out, was that the part of the script she was referring to was taken directly from quotes Madonna gave on live TV. Despite the fact she did admittedly make those statements herself, it’s understandable that having another person share your story could be confronting. Additionally, her criticism of the growing trend of unauthorised portrayals of cultural figures is widely felt. Madonna’s friend, and fellow iconic blond, Donatella Versace recently spoke out against her family’s own unauthorised biopic, Versace/Cunanan: American Crime Story, saying it “should only be seen as a work of fiction.” She chose to rather personally share her memories and experiences in a book.
Considering the outpouring of love and support Blond Ambition has drawn there is little doubt the public are ready for Madonna’s story to come to the big screen. So maybe it’s time the singer dusted off her director’s chair and gave us the facts from her perspective.
Credits
Text Wendy Syfret
Photography Richard Corman