It looks like Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid) has found her next project. Variety reported today that the actor and singer has been cast in a project that hails from Universal Pictures. Still untitled, the musical is created by a pretty unique duo: Happy singer Pharrel Williams and The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind writer and director Michel Gondry. The story is set to take place in Williams‘ childhood neighborhood Atlantis Apartments, in Virginia.
Since the story is listed as a coming-of-age one, chances are that Bailey is one of the leads in the project. Since it’s a musical, it is pretty safe to assume that the actor will once again showcase her vocal talents on screen. As much as we love Bailey, however, the more curious aspect is the partnering of Williams and Gondry. The filmmaker is known for telling stories that dive deep into existential crises. Aside from Eternal Sunshine, he also created The Science of Sleep and Jim Carrey comedy/drama series Kidding. Williams‘ usually upbeat songs have been featured in titles like Despicable Me, Hidden Figures and The Amazing Spider-Man.
At this point, more details are kept under wraps by Universal, but we know that Bailey already has two costars. The first one is Kelvin Harrison Jr., who has some pretty extraordinary performances to his name. He played B.B. King in Elvis and none other than Martin Luther King in Hulu series Genius. He also starred in Cyrano alongside Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) and in Aaron Sorkin‘s The Trial of the Chicago 7.
The Musical Project Already Cast An Oscar Winner
Da’Vine Joy Randolph (Only Murders in the Building) has just received an Oscar for her unforgettable performance in The Holdovers, and her name already helps draw attention to a new project. The actor will also star alongside Bailey and Harrison Jr. in the musical, but like the other cast members, we still don’t know which character she is going to play. Joy Randolph is also set to star in Joe Carnahan‘s Shadow Force and in the action comedy Bride Hard with Rebel Wilson (Senior Year) and Justin Hartley (This Is Us).
Universal Pictures is yet to announce further details of the musical project, including additional cast members, filming schedule and expected release window. It’s possible that Gondry subverts the musical format with his usual themes, but at the same time it’s not like the Oscar winner has a distant relationship with musical endeavors. He’s already helmed music videos for artists like The Chemical Brothers, The White Stripes, Radiohead and Björk.
There is currently no release date for the untitled project. Bailey‘s latest, The Color Purple, is streaming now on Max.
via Collider