Madonna Decided To Make A Movie About Her Life As A ‘Preemptive Strike’ Against ‘Misogynistic Men’

Madonna is one of the most dynamic and world-conquering performers in pop music history. So why did it take five decades into her career to make a movie about her life (Fox’s Madonna: Innocence Lost does not count.) Sexist dudes, basically.

In a recent interview with Variety, Madonna was asked for an update on Little Sparrow, the Diablo Cody-co-written biopic reportedly starring Ozark and The Americans great Julia Garner as the Queen of Pop. “I have a very long script that is really hard for me to make shorter. I’ve been whittling away at it, but it’s like hacking off my limbs,” she said.

As for why she decided to make this film, Madonna said, “I’ve had an extraordinary life, I must make an extraordinary film. It was also a preemptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make movies about me. Mostly misogynistic men.” She eventually decided to put her foot in the door and said, “No one’s going to tell my story, but me.”

Hopefully she’ll make an exception for Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

The auditions to play Madonna included daily choreography lessons, some lasting as long as 11 hours, “with Madonna’s choreographer, after which there are choreography sessions with Madonna, herself,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. “And then there are callbacks, which consist of readings with Madonna, as well as singing auditions with the superstar.” If Garner did indeed get the role, she’s a lucky star.