Diablo Cody's Madonna Biopic to Feature Warhol, Basquiat, Lloyd Webber

The Juno screenwriter is collaborating with the Queen of Pop on a movie covering Madonna's celebrity ascent and cultural conquests.

Neal Broverman

Neal Broverman is the Editorial Director, Print of Pride Media, publishers of The Advocate, Out, Out Traveler, and Plus, spending more than 20 years in journalism. He indulges his interest in transportation and urban planning with regular contributions to Los Angeles magazine, and his work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times and USA Today. He lives in the City of Angels with his husband, children, and their chiweenie.

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Neal Broverman

September 11 2020 2:44 PM EST

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Madonna and Juno screenwriter Diablo Cody spoke at length recently about a new biopic they're writing about the performer's rise to superstardom and her influence over popular culture.

Speaking during an Instagram Live session, Madonna and Cody said they've written about 100 pages of the film. The as-yet-untitled project will cover Madonna's early days in New York, where she ran in artistic circles that included queer legends like Andy Warhol and Keith Haring. Artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, who Madonna had a relationship with, will also figure in the film.

The film will have comedic elements to it, Entertainment Weekly reported the duo as saying, with amusing appearances from Warhol and Madonna's sister, Paula Ciccone.

The movie will also cover Madonna after she became a household name, including the making of her lauded Like a Prayer album, as well as her Golden Globe-winning turn as Evita in the 1996 film of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. In the Instagram session, Madonna said she often sparred with Webber, though the iconic composer disputed that description to EW.

Not disregarded will be the "Vogue" era, when Madonna borrowed -- some say appropriated -- from the queer POC ball community for one of her biggest hits. One scene will depict her first meeting with ball icons Jose Gutierez Xtravaganza and Luis Xtravaganza.