Latest news with #Gondry
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry Scrap Musical ‘Golden' in Post-Production: ‘There Wasn't a Path Forward'
'Golden,' a musical inspired by the life of Pharrell Williams and directed by 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' filmmaker Michel Gondry, is being scrapped and will not be released by Universal, despite the film being in post-production and featuring a star-studded cast. Williams and Gondry in a joint statement to IndieWire said that they mutually agreed they 'can't deliver this film,' and Variety, which first reported the news, added that it will not be released in any form or shopped by Universal to other buyers. More from IndieWire 2025 Critics Choice Awards Winners List (Updating Live Throughout the Night) Martin Scorsese Loves Robert Eggers: 'Anything This Guy Does Is Amazing' 'When all of us got into the editing room we collectively decided there wasn't a path forward to tell the version of this story that we originally envisioned. We appreciate all the hard work of the talented cast and crew. While we're disappointed, we can't deliver this film, we have incredible partners at Universal and will collaborate in a different capacity again soon,' Williams and Gondry said in a statement. 'Golden,' originally titled 'Atlantis,' was a musical set during Williams' coming-of-age years in the 1970s growing up in Virginia Beach. It starred Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Quinta Brunson, Anderson .Paak, Jaboukie Young-White, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph in what would've been her first role since winning an Oscar for 'The Holdovers.' Universal had even set a release date of May 5. While there's some recent horror stories of completed films never seeing the light of day, such as 'Coyote vs. Acme' or 'Batgirl,' those movies were shelved as tax write-offs by the studio rather than the creators. In this case, the creators themselves (Williams was a producer alongside Mimi Valdes and Gil Netter) are pulling the plug with the film already shot. As a result, Variety reported that Universal is expected to swallow $20 million of production costs and that the film was in the early stages of post-production, meaning that it won't be completed. Variety added via sources that everyone involved has been paid for work completed. Williams has a creative partnership with Universal, which set up and financed 'Golden.' He wrote 'Happy' for the 'Despicable Me' franchise, and Universal's specialized arm Focus Features last year released the documentary about his life, 'Piece by Piece,' which was animated entirely in Lego form. The movie made $10.6 million at the worldwide box office. It's unclear what creatively about the movie could not be salvaged. Pharrell, while on the press tour for 'Piece by Piece,' said that while the documentary was about his life, 'Golden' was about his childhood neighborhood and that specifically it was a film that celebrated 'Black joy.' 'It's a coming-of-age story about self-discovery and pursuing your dreams, but it's so much more magical than that. It's a celebration of Black life, Black culture, and most importantly, Black joy,' he previously told Empire. The Oscar-winning Gondry's next project is 'Maya, Give Me a Title,' which is screening at the Berlin Film Festival. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie The 55 Best LGBTQ Movies and TV Shows Streaming on Netflix Right Now
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry Scrap Universal Musical ‘Golden' in Post-Production
Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry have scrapped their movie musical 'Golden' during post-production at Universal Pictures, TheWrap has learned. The film, directed by Gondry ('Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'), will not be released in any capacity after producers and the director collectively determined the film did not live up to its intended vision. 'When all of us got into the editing room we collectively decided there wasn't a path forward to tell the version of this story that we originally envisioned,' Williams and Gondry said in a joint statement to Variety, which first reported the news. 'We appreciate all the hard work of the talented cast and crew. While we're disappointed we can't deliver this film, we have incredible partners at Universal and will collaborate in a different capacity again soon.' 'Golden' featured an ensemble cast including Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe, and Missy Elliott. The musical, originally titled 'Atlantis,' was set in Virginia Beach during the summer of 1977. Williams previously described it to Empire magazine as 'a coming-of-age story about self-discovery and pursuing your dreams, but it's so much more magical than that. It's a celebration of Black life, Black culture, and most importantly, Black joy.' The film was set to feature original music from songwriting duo Pasek and Paul in collaboration with Williams. Williams currently serves as men's creative director at Louis Vuitton and recently composed music for Netflix's Tyler Perry film 'The Six Triple Eight.' Gondry, known for 'The Science of Sleep' and the Jim Carrey series 'Kidding,' will next debut his animated feature 'Maya, Give Me A Title' at the Berlin Film Festival. That film explores his relationship with his daughter. Universal did not respond to TheWrap's request for comment. The post Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry Scrap Universal Musical 'Golden' in Post-Production appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pharrell Williams, Michel Gondry Shut Down Their Universal Musical Amid Editing Process
Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry have decided to scrap their movie musical that was in the postproduction process for Universal Pictures. Golden, which previously went by the title Atlantis, will not be shopped to other interested parties, as the creative team is not continuing on with the project. More from The Hollywood Reporter Where to Stream Pharrell Williams' Lego-Powered Film 'Piece by Piece' Online 'Jurassic World Rebirth': Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali Hit the Jungle in First Trailer ESPN Turns to Pharrell Williams to Launch Campaign for NBA Games on ABC (Exclusive) The star-studded cast included Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe and Missy Elliott. The project was set in Virginia Beach during the summer of 1977 and inspired by Atlantis Apartments, the neighborhood where Williams grew up. Gondry helmed the musical from a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson, while Williams was a producer alongside Mimi Valdés and Gil Netter. 'When all of us got into the editing room, we collectively decided there wasn't a path forward to tell the version of this story that we originally envisioned,' Williams and Gondry said in a joint statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. 'We appreciate all the hard work of the talented cast and crew. While we're disappointed, we can't deliver this film, we have incredible partners at Universal and will collaborate in a different capacity again soon.' Williams has a long relationship with Universal, including having worked on the music for the Despicable Me franchise. Gondry has helmed such scripted features as Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind and The Green Hornet, along with the music-focused documentary Dave Chappelle's Block Party. The filmmaker won an Oscar for his work on the script for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Variety was first to report the news of the movie not going forward. More to come. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time Dinosaurs, Zombies and More 'Wicked': The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025 From 'A Complete Unknown' to 'Selena' to 'Ray': 33 Notable Music Biopics
