Julia Garner reportedly cast as Madonna in new biopic after 'grueling' audition process

Julia Garner of Inventing Anna has been offered the chance to play Madonna in an upcoming biopic, inside sources have revealed. 

The American 28-year-old who rose to fame with her portrayal of Russian con-artist Anna 'Delvey' Sorokin in the hit Netflix series could be about to accept another career-defining role ‒ the one and only Queen of Pop. 

It's understood that Universal Pictures has asked Julia Garner to play Madonna in a forthcoming biopic about the Material Girl singer, after determining her to be the frontrunner over more than 12 other candidates. 

It remains unknown if the Ozark star has agreed to the part, but a source has told Variety that her team is "considering and expected to accept the offer." The exciting scoop comes shortly after Madonna was banned from Instagram Live, after breaching the platform's Community Guidelines. 

Auditions for the highly-anticipated movie, which was co-written by Madonna and will also be directed by her, were reportedly a 'grueling' process designed to test all aspects of the actors' performance skills.

"You have to be able to do everything," a source familiar with the try-outs told the US press. It was said that hopefuls were put through choreography sessions in March 2022 that could last up to 11 hours, as well as one-one singing rehearsals with the 63-year-old musician herself. Hardcore training in the months before production begins will also be required of the lucky actor who takes on the role. 

While it looks like Julia was a shoo-in to play Madonna from early on, she reportedly still had to audition against a lineup of other mega-talented stars. It's been rumored that Florence Pugh, Bebe Rexha, and Sky Ferreira were all in the running for the coveted part, as well as Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, and Barbie Ferreira.

Current drafts of Madonna's movie script, which has yet to be greenlit by the studio, reportedly include climactic scenes of her 1990 Blonde Ambition tour. This plotline is subject to change, however, after the budget and cast are determined. The biopic has apparently been in the pipeline now for years, having suffered delays when its original co-writer, Diabo Cody, left the project.