Madonna Says Her Biopic Was Scrapped By Universal Over Big Budget

Madonna is finally pulling back the curtain on her long-scrapped biopic ... and according to her, money was the biggest reason it never made it to the big screen.

The pop icon reveals she spent two years developing the film and even cast Julia Garner as the lead after an intense boot camp in 2022, but despite all that work, the studio just couldn't get on board with the scale -- and price tag -- she felt her life story deserved.

Madonna told Interview mag she even pitched a cheaper version filmed in Serbia ... but that didn't win executives over either, explaining ... "Their first reaction was, 'We don't believe you'd stay in Serbia more than four days.'"

Her response ... "Did you read the script? My whole life has been survival. I'm not going there for a holiday."

In the end, Madonna chalked it up to the realities of Hollywood.

After struggling to find the right showrunner and watching a later Netflix series idea fizzle out, she decided to return her focus to music.