Major Universal Pictures Movie Scrapped After Filming: Pharrell Williams Biopic ‘Golden’ Is Canceled

Director Michel Gondry says there’s no “path forward” for the movie.

February 11, 2025, 4:50pm

View of the Universal Pictures logo on stage during Universal Pictures and Focus Features presentation at CinemaCon 2023, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO), at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on April 26, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Credit: Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)

The second biopic based on the life of Pharrell Williams is now more than just a cloud away. Universal Pictures has decided to permanently shelve the project, despite the fact it has already finished filming.

The movie boasted a star-studded cast of some of the biggest Hollywood stars alongside the music industry’s finest, including Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey, Bryan Tyree Henry, Quinta Brunson, Janelle Monáe, Missy Elliott, Anderson .Paak, and André 3000. Michel Gondry, best known for his 2004 classic Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, served as director.

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US musician and entrepreneur Pharrell Williams speaks on the main stage of the Web Summit at Parque das Nacoes in Lisbon, on November 11, 2024. (Credit: PATRICIA DE MELO MOREIRA/AFP via Getty Images)

Williams, who is known as a musician, producer, rapper, and fashion designer—just to name a few—has been making moves to expand to the film industry in recent years. It started with his work on the Despicable Me series, where his song “Happy” from the second movie became the most successful song of 2014. He was later nominated at the Oscars for Best Picture in 2017, as a producer of Hidden Figures. In October 2024, a bizarre biopic of Williams’ life shown entirely through Lego animation, Piece by Piece, released to positive reviews. However, it seems his next effort won’t see the light of day.

In a statement to Variety, Williams and Gondry said in a joint statement “When all of us got into the editing room we collectively decided there wasn’t a path forward to tell the version of this story that we originally envisioned… We appreciate all the hard work of the talented cast and crew. While we’re disappointed we can’t deliver this film, we have incredible partners at Universal and will collaborate in a different capacity again soon.”

Universal was planning to release the film on May 9, 2025, but will now take a $20 million hit in costs already spent on production.

Pharrell Williams’ Next Endeavor Outside of Music and Movies

Pharrell Williams (Credit: Getty Images)

Williams is currently the creative director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. He recently partnered with longtime collaborator, BAPE founder and current Kenzo director Nigo for the brand’s Fall/Winter ’25 collection.