Photo Credit: Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott is joining Universal Pictures’ as-yet-untitled musical production featuring Pharrell Williams, Michel Gondry, Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and more.
Hip-hop and R&B star Missy Elliott is the latest artist to join Universal Pictures’ untitled coming-of-age musical from director Michel Gondry and producer Pharrell Williams. Details so far reveal a story set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977, described as a “coming-of-age musical inspired by the city’s Atlantis Apartments and the neighborhood where Williams grew up.”
Kelvin Harrison Jr. leads the ensemble cast that also features Halle Bailey, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Brian Tyree Henry. With a script written by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson, the film will be produced by Williams and Mimi Valdés for i am OTHER, and Gil Netter for Gil Netter Productions. Ryan Jones, Senior Vice President of Production Development, and Christine Sun, Director of Production Development, are overseeing the project for Universal.
Last year, Missy Elliot became the first female hip-hop artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2021. Missy Elliott has won four Grammy Awards and sold over 30 million records worldwide since her debut on the music scene in the ‘90s.
Though she hasn’t worked often in film and television throughout her career, Elliott can be seen on Fox’s “Star,” the dance-themed feature “Honey” opposite Jessica Alba, and documentaries like “Fade to Black” about Jay-Z’s farewell concert at MSG, and the sneaker culture-focused “Just for Kicks.” The new project marks her return to the big screen since her voiceover work in the 2004 DreamWorks animated film “Shark Tale.”
This summer, she hits the road for her first-ever headlining tour, Out Of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, which takes her across 24 cities to perform alongside longtime collaborators including Busta Rhymes, Ciara, and Timbaland. She is represented by Mona Scott-Young of Monami Management, and Singh, Singh & Trauben.
