Pharrell Williams & Michel Gondry Scrap Movie Musical, ‘Golden’ At Universal During Post Production

Pharrell Williams' highly anticipated musical biopic, Golden, has been permanently shelved and will not be released in any form. The film, directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), featured an all-star cast including Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Quinta Brunson, Anderson .Paak, and Jaboukie Young-White.

Originally set for a May 5 release via Universal Pictures, Golden—formerly titled Atlantis—was backed by the studio as part of its long-running collaboration with Williams. However, producers and Gondry ultimately decided the project did not meet their creative vision.

“When we got into the editing room, we collectively agreed there wasn’t a path forward to tell the version of this story we envisioned,” Williams and Gondry said in a joint statement. “We appreciate the hard work of the talented cast and crew and look forward to future collaborations with Universal.”

Despite the film reaching early postproduction, Universal opted to absorb an estimated $20 million in costs rather than move forward. While scrapping a film at this stage is rare, maintaining a strong partnership with Williams—a key creative force behind the Despicable Me franchise—was likely a priority for the studio.