Kendrick Lamar is making his debut as a film producer
The movie will be a comedy, co-produced with the creators of South Park.
Kendrick Lamar, Grammy award-winner and all around favorite, is diversifying his portfolio. He is set to produce a live action comedy film with longtime collaborator Dave Free and South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The currently untitled film was penned by standup comic, writer and producer Vernon Chatman.
A press release for the project states, “The film will depict the past and present coming to a head when a young [B]lack man who is interning as a slave re-enactor at a living history museum discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his.” The film will stream on Paramount+. Brian Robbins, CEO of Paramount Pictures remarked, “On behalf of Paramount Pictures and the wider ViacomCBS family, we look forward to ushering in the first theatrical collaboration from these creative visionaries, and galvanizing audiences worldwide around a powerful storytelling experience.”
Lamar and Free, former president of Lamar’s longtime label home Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), created a production company called pgLang in 2020, and this will be its first production. According to Deadline, Chapman “created Adult Swim’s The Shivering Truth, and co-created the cult series Wonder Showzen, Xavier: Renegade Angel, Trigger Warning With Killer Mike and Doggie Fizzle Televizzle With Snoop Dogg. He has also written for The Chris Rock Show, Conan O’Brien and Louie, and has been a writer-producer on South Park for 20 seasons.” The prolific Stone and Parker are most famous for their animated show South Park — which has been running for 25-season and counting — and they also have created films for the South Park universe, as well as creating Team America: World Police and the hit musical Book of Mormon with Robert Lopez.
In terms of music, fans of Lamar have long been awaiting a new album. His last record DAMN. came out in 2017 to massive fandom and critical acclaim, and he was a fundamental part of the Black Panther soundtrack in 2018. Jokes are going around Twitter about his first new project in years not being musical, when fans are so eager for a new record. It does seem that both are on the horizon now though. On August 20, Lamar cryptically uploaded a letter to Oklama.com sharing that his next album would be his last with TDE.
“May the Most High continue to use Top Dawg as a vessel for candid creators. As I continue to pursue my life’s calling,” Lamar wrote. “There’s beauty in completion. And always faith in the unknown. Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts. I’ve prayed for you all. See you soon enough.”
