A live-action Pharrell Williams musical biopic, titled Golden, has reportedly shuttered in postproduction and will not be released.
Originally titled Atlantis, the Michael Gondry-directed project was slated to star Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe and more A-list names. But as Variety reports, due to a "unanimous agreement" between Gondry and producers, including Williams, I Am OTHER Chief Creative Officer Mimi Valdes and Gil Netter, the film was scrapped.
"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 told the entertainment outlet 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."
It was revealed that Universal Pictures spent $20 million on production, and, according to three sources, Golden was in early postproduction, with cast and crew being paid for their completed work.
Williams' fans anticipating the movie musical, which was scheduled for a May 5 theatrical release date, expressed their disappointment on social media.
Last October, Williams' LEGO-animated biopic Piece by Piece was released to critical acclaim and multiple nominations, including two in the Critics Choice Documentary Awards. Ahead of the film's debut, last June, Williams talked to Variety about his intention behind Atlantis before it was renamed.
"This film is about my life and how God is continuing to give me the pieces that put it together — piece by piece — and to have really amazing people along the journey in my constellation," the 13-time Grammy winner said. "To all the stars, musically, and all my teachers and everybody who has contributed to this constellation."
He continued, "That project is about the neighborhood that I grew up in until I was, maybe, 10 and what that life was like. It takes place in 1977. I was obviously four years old, so it’s not about my life. It’s a fictional story told in that world, called Atlantis Apartments."