Just like Us, Kelvin Harrison Jr. has some feelings about Universal Pictures deciding to shelve the star-studded Pharrell Williams biopic.
“It’s always sad when you’ve invested your time into something, and I was really excited about that story,” Harrison Jr., 30, exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday, March 11 while walking the Searchlight Pictures O’Dessa special screening red carpet at the Metrograph in in New York City.
“I got to work with all these amazing actors that I love so much, and artists that I admired and looked up to, like Missy Elliot, Anderson Paak and Janelle Monáe – the list goes on,” he continued. “But ultimately, I still have the memory, and I still grew a lot and I learned a lot from the experience. And I still have a lot of videos and photos on my phone from that time. So, I have the movie in my head.”
The biopic — titled Golden, though it was originally named Atlantic — was directed by Michel Gondry, best known for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. A musical meant to detail the childhood of Williams, 51, the film featured a star-studded cast, including Harrison Jr., Elliot, Paak, Monáe, Halle Bailey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, Quinta Brunson and Jaboukie Young-White.
Initially scheduled to be released on May 5, Universal Pictures decided to permanently shutter the project in February, 2025. Variety was the first to report the news, adding that the studio has no plans to shop the film around, either.
“It’s such a beautiful story about honoring where you come from, your hometown, and joy and just knowing that the journey is wrong and the route that we’re on is ever-changing and evolving and we have to embrace that and not be afraid of the journey,” Harrison Jr. said of the project. “And it is such a broad thing, but it is hard to explain. It’s one of those movies to experience and Michelle Gondry directed. You know what I’m saying? It’s a bummer, but it’s cool.”
According to Variety, the film was “shut down after unanimous agreement from producers and Gondry that the film did not live up to its developed conceit.” The outlet reported that Gil Netter, known for his work on The Blind Side, was a producer alongside Williams and his creative partner Mimi Valdes.
“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,” Williams and Gondry told the outlet in a joint statement. “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.”
“I know as much as you guys do,” Harrison Jr. told Us of the decision to cancel the project, adding that “maybe something will change, or maybe it won’t.”
“For now, I’m just at peace with their decision,” he said.
While the actor is accepting the fact that fans may never get the opportunity to see Golden in theaters, he’s just as excited for viewers to watch his latest film O’Dessa. The movie, starring Harrison Jr. alongside Sadie Sin, Regina Hall, Kelly Maconald, Murray Bartlett and Mark Boone Junior, follows a farm girl (Sin) as she embarks on an epic quest to recover a beloved family heirloom in a post-apocalyptic future.
“It’s a unique love story,” Harrison Jr. told Us of the film. “We don’t always get an opportunity to be ourselves all the time, and our idea of what that’s supposed to be is very limited. This movie is not only genre-bending but also gender-bending and has so many different styles and vibes. I think it’s just going to be cool for those who feel like they haven’t quite found a place that they feel like a little bit of a home in this movie. Plus, it has great music.”
Reporting by Travis Cronin
