Variety reports that a movie musical directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) about Pharrell Williams’s childhood has been scrapped in post-production and will not be released.
The film, titled Golden, was slated to be released by Universal Pictures and features a cast which includes Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Quinta Brunson, Anderson .Paak, and Jaboukie Young-White. While it’s rare for a studio to scrap a movie at this stage of development, this isn’t like Warner Bros. shelving Batgirl and Coyote vs. Acme for tax purposes. Instead, the film, titled Golden, was shut down after “unanimous agreement from producers and Gondry that the film did not live up to its developed conceit.“
“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.” said Williams and Gondry in a joint statement. “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.“
Universal will absorb the roughly $20 million which has already been spent on production. The film was early in the post-production process, and although it will never see the light of day, the report states that everyone involved has been paid for their completed work.
We got our first tease of Golden last year when Williams spoke about the differences between it and Piece by Piece, the LEGO animated biography documentary. “‘Piece By Piece’ is about my life, whereas Golden is about a neighborhood that I grew up in. I’s a musical expedition set in the summer of 1977 in Virginia Beach,” Williams told Empire. “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.“
While it’s a shame to see so much work shuffled off into the cinematic afterlife, it’s a relief to know that the choice comes from the creators rather than a studio chasing a tax break.
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