A Pharrell Williams movie musical expected to release in movie theatres later this year has been indefinitely shelved and will not release at all, according to a report in Variety. The project, which was being led by director Michel Gondry and was to have featured songs by both Williams and EGOT winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, reportedly reached an impasse during the editing process, and Universal Pictures now considers it a complete loss.
The project, first revealed last year with the title Atlantis but most recently titled Golden, was a coming-of-age story set in 1977 Virgina Beach, where Williams grew up, but plot details were otherwise scarce. The script was written by Tony winner Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) and Martin Hynes.
The film featured a cast with many Broadway notables, including Brian Tyree Henry (Lobby Hero) and Da'Vine Joy Randolph (Ghost) as well as Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), Kelvin Harrison, Jr., Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary), Anderson .Paak (Grown-ish), Janelle Monáe (Moonlight), Tim Meadows (SNL), Jayson Lee (61st Street), Jamilah Rosemond (Rustin), Jaboukie Young-White (Fantasmas) and Missy Elliott.
Additionally, Tony-winning Broadway director Michael Mayer was serving as an executive producer, along with Pasek and Paul.