Halle Bailey to Sing Opposite Da’Vine Joy Randolph in Pharrell Williams, Michel Gondry Musical
Halle Bailey, who played Ariel in The Little Mermaid and Young Nettie in The Color Purple, has joined the cast of the upcoming, as-yet-untitled collaboration between Pharrell Williams and filmmaker Michel Gondry.
The cast currently includes Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, according to Variety. The musical will take place in Virginia Beach, a setting meant to evoke the Atlantis Apartments, the neighborhood where Williams grew up, in the summer of 1977.
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Gondry, who directed Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, will helm the production. The screenwriters are Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen, Fosse/Verdon). Williams is one of the film’s producers.
Williams is also working on another film, Piece by Piece, which will tell his life story via animated Legos. Morgan Neville, who directed Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, will direct that picture. “When I had this crazy vision to tell this story through Lego bricks, I couldn’t have imagined a better partner than Morgan,” Williams said when the film was announced in January. “Building with Lego bricks encourages us to follow our imagination … who would’ve thought that playing with these toys as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life. It’s proof that anyone else can do it too.”
Last month, Bailey — who is perhaps still best known as half of the sister duo Chlo? x Halle — released a new solo single, “In Your Hands.” In a clip for the song, she serenaded her months-old son, Halo. The track arrived after Halle released her debut solo single “Angel” last August.
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