The pop icon teased her upcoming performance in a photo that showed her holding a script on a boat in Europe, writing, “The Italian Job” in the caption.

Madonna returns to ‘Like a Virgin’ locale for surprise career move in first live-action acting role in 24 years

The pop icon teased her upcoming performance in a photo that showed her holding a script on a boat in Europe, writing, "The Italian Job" in the caption.

Joey Nolfi

Joey Nolfi is a senior writer at *. *Since 2016, his work at EW includes RuPaul’s Drag Race video interviews, Oscars predictions, and more.

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March 17, 2026 12:36 p.m. ET

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Madonna at the 2025 Met Gala. Credit:

Cindy Ord/MG25/Getty

Madonna has returned to the city that hosted her monumental "Like a Virgin" music video shoot for her first major live-action scripted acting role in 24 years.

** has learned that the pop icon will appear among the cast of Seth Rogen's Emmy-winning Apple TV comedy series *The Studio*, the second season of which is in production in Europe.

The industry legend shared an Instagram Story image Tuesday, teasing her return to Venice, Italy, for what she called "The Italian Job" in a caption under a photo of her holding a screenplay. She was additionally photographed on set.

Madonna returns to 'Like a Virgin' locale for new acting job.

Madonna/Instagram

EW has reached out to representatives for *The Studio* and Madonna for comment.

The Apple TV comedy recently saw sustained awards season success, with the first season winning 13 Emmys last year, before late actress Catherine O'Hara received the Actor Award for her performance in early March.

Madonna filmed her 1984 music video for hit single "Like a Virgin" in the Italian city, which quickly became one of her most iconic and memorable pop culture moments to date.

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Ahead of joining *The Studio *season 2, Madonna's last major live-action acting roles came in 2002, when she led the cast of the film *Swept Away* (directed by her then-husband Guy Ritchie) and appeared in a small role in the James Bond franchise entry *Die Another Day*.

Since then, Madonna has voiced a character in the 2006 animated feature *Arthur and the Invisibles*, in addition to releasing several concert films that were produced as she toured to support albums like *Confessions on a Dance Floor*, *Hard Candy*, *MDNA*, *Rebel Heart*, and* Madame X*.

Elsewhere on the film front, Madonna has long worked on a screenplay for a planned feature film about her life, which she previously announced she intended to direct.

Seth Rogen, Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders on 'The Studio'.

After working on versions of the script with Oscar-winning *Juno* writer Diablo Cody and later Erin Cressida Wilson, the biopic was formally announced to be in development at Universal, though it was eventually delayed and subsequently removed from the studio's slate in early 2023 so the entertainer could perform around the world on her Celebration tour.

In 2024, however, Madonna returned to work on the project — which EW confirmed is set to star Julia Garner as the singer-songwriter — upon revealing its working title, *Who's That Girl* — a nod to Madonna's 1987 comedy film and that movie's No. 1-charting soundtrack single of the same name.

In January 2022, EW additionally exclusively reported that *Uncut Gems* actress Julia Fox met with Madonna to discuss playing Madonna's longtime friend, actress Debi Mazar, in the film.

See Madonna's photo in Italy above.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Comedy”