UPDATE: Recent ‘Holdovers’ Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph has joined the cast.
EARLIER 03/11/24: Michel Gondry is set to move into production next month (April 24) on the long-delayed “Atlantis,” which is a musical inspired by musician Pharrell Williams’ childhood. This is the same film that was supposed to shoot last summer, but got delayed due to the actors strike.
“Atlantis” is rumored to have a cast that includes Kelvin Harrison Jr. and rappers Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliot and Andre Benjamin. This is turning into one of the more exciting projects of Gondry’s career and, yes, it’s said to be a full fledged musical.
Gondry has been developing this musical since 2022. This will also be his decade-long return to American filmmaking. He had originally described the project as being “personal” and having a “pretty big budget.”
Pharrell formed the hip hop and R&B duo the Neptunes in the early ‘90s. During the aughts, he became lead vocalist of the band N.E.R.D. He’s also one of the most influential and successful music producers of the 21st century, having had a significant impact on the sound of modern popular music.
Last year, Gondry premiered “The Book of Solutions” at Cannes. It played in the Directors Fortnight sidebar and garnered positive reviews —it’s supposed to be released in the U.S. later this year. It was the 60-year-old filmmaker’s first film in over 7 years.
Gondry will forever be known as having directed 2004’s “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” I’m also a big fan of his inventively entertaining 2005 documentary “Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.”
His other works include “Human Nature,” “Be Kind Rewind,” “The Science of Sleep,” and “Mood Indigo.” And let us not forget he directed abysmal ‘Green Hornet’ with Seth Rogen.