‘Whitney Springs’: Kendrick Lamar & ‘South Park’ Duo’s Slave-Comedy Balloons to $100M+ Budget, Still Not Finished

Kendrick Lamar, along with South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, shot a film in early 2024, with the duo serving as writer-directors. The mysterious project, going by the title “Whitney Spring,” was said to be a “slave musical comedy” set in California. The rest of the cast is unknown, but was rumored to include Chloe East, Celeste Octavia, and Parker, who plays the town’s mayor.

Paramount had set a theatrical release for July 4, 2025, but it was later pushed to March 2026. Last year, the film was delayed yet again by Paramount, indefinitely, with no presence on its 2026 or 2027 slate.

The excuse this time around was that Lamar was too busy touring, while Stone and Parker were too busy working on the new season of “South Park.” What I kept reporting, however, was that the main reason for the delay was that the movie simply wasn’t finished, with significant rewrites occurring during and after production. THR corroborated my previous intel, while adding that, at the request of Lamar, who is a producer, and filmmaker Dave Free, Lamar’s manager, “major reshoots” were needed for the film. The fact that Stone, Parker, and Lamar have “full creative control” means that Paramount doesn’t have much of a say in its creative direction.

Now we have a major update: According to The Ankler, Stone and Parker’s “Whitney Springs” still isn’t finished. Furthermore, the budget has skyrocketed to well over $100M. In a statement, Stone and Parker have taken full responsibility for the delay claiming it’s because of their commitment to “South Park.” Contrary to what some believed, the film is not being held by David Ellison’s Paramount because of its politics.

Speaking to The Ankler, one person familiar with the project actually puts the total cost at $150M; another person familiar with the deal says the budget was originally around $70M to $80M.

“We take full responsibility for the schedule delay of this movie,” Parker and Stone said in a statement. “We apologize to our partners at pgLang and Paramount, and we appreciate their patience. South Park and life’s circumstances have gotten in the way, but we still believe in the project.”

This film has had quite a turbulent history. Rewrites definitely occurred, and they were major enough to have significantly altered the originally announced plot. The film was supposed to revolve around a historical slave plantation museum in the Midwest and a young Black re-enactor who lashes out at tourists and clashes with the town’s hypocritical, racist mayor, played by Parker. He then discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his.

I was told that the plot had changed — to what extent? I’m not entirely sure, since only a few people at Paramount have been allowed to read the script at Parker and Stone’s office.

Given all the uncertainty, it remains unclear whether the project will ultimately see the light of day. But its unusual premise and the creative team behind it ensure that interest will remain high should it ever resurface on Paramount’s schedule.