Madonna, Queen of Pop™, graces the cover of Harper's Bazaar's February 2017 issue, in celebration of their 150th anniversary issue.

Her Madgesty's royal cover cameo comes complete with a stunning Girl Gone Goth photo spread shot by fashion photographer duo Luigi & Iango and an in-depth interview by Roxane Gay, during which the two sample wine at Madge's house ("I'll go broke before I drink bad wine," she says) and talk politics, aging...and upcoming movie plans.

As initially teased (and/or threatened) during her MDNA Skin promotions, following the release of her Rebel Heart Tour special at the end of last year, Madonna is now planning to direct a film in 2017.

We now know it's called Loved, based on Andrew Sean Greer's The Impossible Lives of Greta Walls.

From Harper's: "On her coffee table, there were binders filled with research for the project—potential settings, costumes, and so on. Madonna is thorough. In fact, she co-wrote the screenplay and will be directing the film. The novel follows the title character as she moves through time and negotiates three different lives she could have lived. The story also focuses on Greta's relationship with her gay twin brother, Felix, in those different lives."

For Madonna, as with every project — be it music, movies, #secretprojectrevolutions or anything else in which she's ever involved herself — it's personal.

"I've always felt oppressed. I know a lot of people would go, 'Oh, that's ridiculous for you to say that. You're a successful white, wealthy pop star,' but I've had the shit kicked out of me for my entire career, and a large part of that is because I'm female and also because I refuse to live a conventional life. I've created a very unconventional family. I have lovers who are three decades younger than me. This makes people very uncomfortable. I feel like everything I do makes people feel really uncomfortable. Why does this book appeal to me? Why did I want to adapt it into a screenplay? Because it touches me on so many levels and it deals with so many important topics. Right now, more than ever, it's an extremely timely story to tell."

Speaking of politics (she was displeased with the result of the 2016 presidential election, to say the very least), Madonna also called out celebrities at large for staying safe, or entirely silent, on the issues: "What I find really astonishing is how quiet everybody is in my industry. I mean, nobody in the entertainment business except for maybe a handful of people ever speak out about what's going on. Nobody takes a political stance or expresses an opinion," she explains.

Why's that? Madge knows: it might not get you as many "likes" on the 'Gram.

"They want to maintain a neutral position so they can maintain their popularity. I mean, if you have an opinion and people disagree with you, you might not get a job. You might be blacklisted. You might have fewer followers on Instagram. There are any number of things that would be detrimental to your career. Everyone's really afraid. Because it doesn't affect their daily life yet, no one's doing anything about it."

And as for why she keeps going with making art in this grueling industry? That's a silly question. By now, you should already know: please...don't ever tell her to stop.

"I'm so tired of that question. I just don't understand it. I'll stop doing everything that I do when I don't want to do it anymore. I'll stop when I run out of ideas. I'll stop when you f--king kill me. How about that?"

The Queen of Pop, ladies and gentlemen. Long may she reign.

Be sure to check out the full, excellent spread and interview over at Harper's Bazaar, and see the various subscriber covers below.

Madonna on Film Through the Years

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