Pharrell Williams and Kenya Barris Are Planning a Juneteenth Musical With Netflix
The feature will shed light on the official end of slavery in America.
The feature will shed light on the official end of slavery in America.
Text: Michaela Zee
Grammy award-winning artist Pharrell Williams and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris are currently developing a musical film with Netflix based on Juneteenth, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Although the project is still under development, the film will be produced through Barris’ production company Khalabo Ink Society, with Pharrell and Mimi Valdes as co-producers. Sources also claim that this Netflix feature will have a separate storyline from the Juneteenth-inspired stage musical the pair has been collaborating on since 2018.
Juneteenth marks the official end of slavery in the U.S. on June 19, 1865, when Union soldiers arrived in Texas to announce the end of the Civil War and the freedom of slaves. Although the date is not acknowledged as an official holiday yet, the nationwide protests related to the Black Lives Matter movement is calling to recognize Juneteenth as a paid U.S. federal holiday.
