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Madonna is still taking the reins!

On Tuesday, the global superstar confirmed she is co-writing and directing an upcoming movie biopic about her life.

Madonna, who last directed the 2011 film W.E., will be co-writing the script with Oscar-winning Juno scribe Diablo Cody.

"I want to convey the incredible journey that life has taken me on as an artist, a musician, a dancer - a human being, trying to make her way in this world," Madonna, 62, said on her website. "The focus of this film will always be music. Music has kept me going and art has kept me alive."

"There are so many untold and inspiring stories and who better to tell it than me," she continued. "It's essential to share the roller coaster ride of my life with my voice and vision."

The film is being developed with producer Amy Pascal, who has previously worked with the singer on the 1992 film A League of Their Own. The movie will be a Universal production.

Another script about the singer's life, Blond Ambition, was in development at Universal. Blond Ambition was written by Elyse Hollander, who topped the 2016 Black List with what was deemed by roughly 500 studio executives as the best un-produced screenplay in Hollywood.

Madonna slammed the project in April 2017 on Instagram, 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," she wrote at the time. "Looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society."

Since then, the "Vogue" singer has been hard at work developing her own life story, sharing videos and photographs of herself conducting research for the project on her social media accounts.

From People.com

Are you ready for the story of my life....................✍️ Am I? #livetotell #diablocody #screenplay pic.twitter.com/eqEKgfBL77

— Madonna (@Madonna) September 11, 2020

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.

There has not been an official casting notice, but Madonna seems to be leaning toward 26-year-old Ozark actress Julia Garner to play her. Watch the Instagram Live session below.

From The Advocate

I keep forgetting that Im writing about myself........... I can’t make shit up! But in fact I dont need to. The truth will set you free and also be devastating! 😨😀😬😂 #screenplay #diablocody #movie pic.twitter.com/Gs4lRa9K0K

— Madonna (@Madonna) September 8, 2020

Marlene Stewart designed some infamous outfits for the music videos and live performances of Madonna, and she revealed the backstory for one of the pop star's most iconic looks ever.

"Well, when I started working with her, I mean, it was really an easy match because it was like playing dress up," Stewart told TODAY ahead of the 2020 Video Music Awards on Sunday night. "We had a great time. She's really easy to work with because she really loves clothes. She knows her body. and that's part of her look."

Stewart, who started her career in fashion by working in the garment industry, designed for the pop star from approximately 1984 to 1992 before later working more heavily in the film industry.

"She'll give you the time that you need for fittings," Stewart said of their working relationship. "So the most important thing for a costume designer is to have someone that participates and really wants to be there. And now many years later, we can look back and know that she understood the power of her look. So she gave it 100 percent or 1,000 percent of her attention."

Stewart ended up winning awards for the costumes she created in Madonna's video for "Material Girl," which was inspired by Marilyn Monroe's pink gown during her performance of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1953 film “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” But Stewart also designed another key look in the history of Madonna's wardrobe: her costume for the 1990 VMAs performance of "Vogue."

"We know historically that the French were the biggest posers and it's the whole idea of voguing and posing," Stewart explained of her inspiration for the costume. "So it was the perfect transition. I suggested for this kind of French court situation with Marie Antoinette. It's really one of the origins, right? All they did was, 'Strike a pose.'"

When asked if it was her idea, she said it was, before adding, "I think one always has to say it's a collaboration. I would never say anything was completely mine. Every time you work with an artist, you work on something together."

"It's a team effort, You can't do anything by yourself"

"I think that she was in a super creative space at that time. That was really the origin story, if you will, and creating really special things ourselves. She didn't want designer works that she was an advertisement for. It was about her being an original."

Considering that some of her designs, including Madonna's black slip dress in "Like a Prayer," were deemed controversial at the time, Stewart explained she never gave the blowback much credence.

"I didn't take it super seriously. For some people, it was very jarring and jolting and provocative, but I kind of have a neutral feeling about it because some people maybe that were very religious, took it to heart and were insulted."

"I saw it as entertainment. You can say that she's making a political statement or that creating controversy is the thing that Madonna does, but she always just changed it up. She pushed the boundaries like any artist would do."

Stewart looks back and acknowledges that it was a great time to be working in music videos, because music videos really dictated so much of culture.

"It was a time when videos, even though it was the beginning, it was also sort of the peak time for MTV those few years," she said. "We really created trends all around the world and it really was the beginning of a movement. So it was an incredible opportunity to be there at that time and have those experiences."

"MTV was made for Madonna and Madonna was made for MTV."

From TODAY.com

In honor of Tonight's MTV Music Video Awards August 30th, 2020 Billboard has published 'The 100 Greatest Music Video Artist of All Time List!' And of course, Madonna is Number 1, here's their explanation.

Why She's a Video Icon: Ascending to era-defining supremacy shortly after MTV itself, Madonna's high-concept videos - which channeled old Hollywood while paving a provocative visual path into the future - were an integral part of her ever-changing image and the meticulous control she exercised around it.

The MTV Classic: The satirical "Material Girl" and controversial "Like a Prayer" are equally impactful, but the David Fincher-directed "Vogue" - with its life-affirming alchemy of old-school glamour, ball culture choreography and sumptuous cinematography - stands as her finest visual moment.

Worth YouTubing: "Open Your Heart," with its playful subversion of the male gaze via an art deco peep show, is an early and effective distillation of her endlessly analyzed, celebrated, vilified, and imitated take on sexuality and ownership.

From www.billboard.com/100-best-music-video-artists - thanks to Micheal

Madonna has followed Ozark actress Julia Garner on Instagram, leading fans to speculate whether the star could pay the Material Girl in an upcoming biopic. The singer’s decision to follow Julia has to mean something - she only follows a total of 287 people. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact Madonna’s long-time manager Guy Oseary is also recently started following the 26-year-old. Furthermore, Julia follows Madonna on the networking site.

Reacting to the social media movements on Twitter, one fan said: ‘Madonna is now following ozarks Julia garner…. will she be playing M in the biopic?? I hope so…she’s amazing [sic].’ Another said: ‘Madonna and Guy Oseary just followed Julia Garner on IG. Um…. Diablo Cody-written biopic??!!’ A third got hyper-specific about the film’s potential plot, saying: ‘IMMEDIATE NEXT THOUGHT: Julia Garner playing Madonna playing Susan in Desperately Seeking Susan.’ Why not?

Curiously, Madonna, Guy and Julia also recently began following Lana Del Rey, while Guy also recently started following Jojo Rabbit director Taika Waititi. Perhaps we’re reading too much into things, but Madonna, Julia, Lana and Takia would make quite a team…

Madonna knows a thing or two about movies, by the way, having won plaudits for Evita and Who’s That Girl. Julia, meanwhile, is known for her work on films like The Assistant and We Are What We Are.

From Metro.co.uk

Back in the Stu ............ How can we lose?............#diablo 🖋📖📽 • #bleshlife pic.twitter.com/c0P7PTI06V

— Madonna (@Madonna) August 22, 2020

The Birthday Party Continues in Jamaica 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 🇯🇲 https://t.co/o8KhOWHXSV pic.twitter.com/za7Hqz9sTr

— Madonna (@Madonna) August 18, 2020

Welcome to Jamaica..........🇯🇲🇯🇲🇯🇲💛 #birthday #leo pic.twitter.com/ifHezyHjqp

— Madonna (@Madonna) August 17, 2020

View this post on Instagram

Resting Birthday Bitch Face...................... 🔥🔥🔥 #happybirthday #leo #fire

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on Aug 15, 2020 at 5:22pm PDT

View this post on Instagram

@dualipa #levitatingremix

A post shared by Madonna (@madonna) on Aug 15, 2020 at 1:11pm PDT

LEVITATING REMIX W @Blessed_Madonna @MissyElliott @Madonna OUT NOW ON ALL STREAMING SERVICES!! VIDEO OUT TOMORROW!! SET UR ALARMS ✨ 5AM LOS ANGELES / 8AM NEW YORK / 1PM LONDON ✨ https://t.co/qFDOCTu3NI pic.twitter.com/9v7U1UEo2h

— DUA LIPA (@DUALIPA) August 13, 2020

Go big or go home, right? And it doesn’t get any bigger than Madonna. Dua Lipa enlisted both the Material Girl and Missy Elliott for her ‘Levitating” remix and it’s everything you expected it to be.

“ ’LEVITATING’ REMIXED BY THE BLESSED MADONNA FEATURING MY IDOLS MADONNA & MISSY ELLIOTT – 14TH OF AUGUST – DREAM COME TRUE LETS GO!!!!!!” said Dua Lipa when announcing the lead single off her Club Future Nostalgia: The Remix Album. Her enthusiasm was warranted because it’s not every day that one gets Missy, 49, and Madonna, 61, on a track remixed by The Blessed Madonna (fka The Black Madonna aka Marea Stamper). In fact, Dua couldn’t wait until the 14th to release the song, and she dropped it half-a-day early. The results, as expected, were pure club magic, with a song that should make everybody’s body move. Is this a late contender for Song of the Summer?

“It’s just such a mind-blowing experience,” Dua told Zane Lowe on Apple Music about the process, including writing alongside Missy Elliott. “Being a fan of Missy’s for so long and then having her to be like, ‘Yeah, I love the song. I love the remix. I love the track. I feel inspired by it. I want to jump on it.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is so crazy.’ Just like what you said, I jumped on the phone with her and we had a little talk and she really just does stuff that she really believes in, so that I felt it was such a massive compliment for me, for her to be so inspired by the remix and the track, and to want to be a part of it and be a part of this mix tape. And it really is a dream come true. I still find it, just talking about it, I’m like, it doesn’t make sense.”

As for the iconic Madge? “Madonna has been an artist that I’ve listened to my whole life,” Dua told Zane. “And I think just, I guess her career trajectory as well has been something so inspirational and the momentum that she’s kept and the way that she’s grown with her music. And I’ve always found that really, really inspiring and to get to work with the diva herself.”

Fans may get a chance to see Dua perform this remixed single at the MTV Video Music Awards. She’s one of the artists rumored to perform at the Aug. 30 event (which is now no longer taking place indoors at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, but across NYC at audience-less outdoor performances.) Dua is up for four MTV VMAs, with her “Don’t Start Now” being nominated for Best Direction. Her “Physical” video also nabbed three nods –for Best Art Direction, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects.

From Hollywood Life