Brian Tyree Henry Joins Universal Musical From Michel Gondry, Pharrell Williams

Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway, Bullet Train) is set to join Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry’s untitled musical for Universal Pictures inspired by Williams’ formative years growing up in Virginia Beach in the 1970s.

Henry, an Oscar, Emmy and Tony award nominee, has recent credits like Warner Brothers’ Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Causeway, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination, and Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse. He also co-starred in Atlanta as Alfred Miles and appeared in If Beale Street Could Talk as the character Daniel Carty.

His upcoming projects include Amazon/MGM’s The Fire Inside, written by Barry Jenkins, and Paramount’s animated film Transformers One. Henry is also set to star in the Apple TV+ series Sinking Spring from director Ridley Scott.

In live theater, Henry originated the role of The General in the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon, and in 2018 he returned to Broadway in Kenneth Lonergan’s Tony nominated play Lobby Hero.

Henry boards a film that already has Kelvin Harrison Jr., Halle Bailey and Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a coming-of-age musical set in the summer of 1977 Virginia Beach inspired by Atlantis Apartments, Pharrell Williams’ childhood neighborhood. 

Gondry will direct and Williams will produce the project based on a script by Martin Hynes and Steven Levenson. Also sharing producer credits is Mimi Valdés and Gil Netter. Universal’s senior vp of production development Ryan Jones and director of production development Christine Sun will oversee the project for the studio.

Henry is repped by JWS Entertainment and CAA.