Halle Bailey has been tapped to lead an upcoming project helmed by one of music’s most acclaimed producers. The 24-year-old has been announced as the star of an upcoming musical by Pharrell Williams and French filmmaker, Michel Gondry.
According to Variety, Bailey will star alongside Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The unnamed work is described as a “coming-of-age musical set in Virginia Beach in the summer of 1977, inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Williams’ childhood neighborhood.”
Williams and Mimi Valdés are set to produce through i am OTHER, and Gil Netter will produce through Gil Netter Productions. Gondry is credited as the director, with a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson.
In December 2023, Williams announced he was seeking a female lead for the project. The casting call requested, “a Black woman between the ages of 25-34 and be able to sing and dance.”
The film will add to the new mom’s growing big-screen resume. Last year, she starred in the live-action The Little Mermaid as Princess Ariel, where she faced racist backlash for the portrayal. While this “shocked” the star, representing for young Black girls was worth it.
“Seeing the world’s reaction to it was definitely a shock, but seeing all the babies’ reactions, all the brown and Black young girls, really tore me up emotionally,” Bailey told Edition Modern Luxury at the time. “It’s honestly been such a crazy ride, and I genuinely feel shocked and honored and grateful to be in this position. A lot of times, I have to pinch myself and be like, is this real life?”
She also stepped into the role of young Nettie Harris in the musical remake of The Color Purple.