He already has a Pulitzer Prize and 17 Grammys to his name, but Kendrick Lamar could be adding a couple of new film awards to his crowded mantle soon. On the final day of CinemaCon (April 11), Paramount Pictures announced the new live-action comedy from Lamar and South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker begins shooting soon, and also revealed the release date.
“I’m excited to announce that we’re going into production this summer on a [comedy] from the creators of South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker,” Paramount film chief Brian Robbins revealed to the audience about the currently untitled film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “This script is one of the funniest and most original scripts we’ve ever read, and it’s certain to create some fireworks when it hits theaters on July 4, 2025.”
The Independence Day theatrical release for the film is apt considering its plot. Previously announced in 2022, the upcoming movie will “depict the past and present coming to a head when a young Black man, who is interning as a slave re-enactor at a living history museum, discovers that his white girlfriend’s ancestors once owned his,” according to a press release at the time.
During the presentation, Robbins also confirmed that the movie is set to begin shooting this summer. Lamar, along with Grammy winner Dave Free, will produce the picture through pgLang, a multidisciplinary communications company specializing in music and visual media that the two founded in 2020. Stone and Parker will produce via Park County, a media and entertainment company the two Emmy winners founded in 2012.
While Stone and Parker — who have been dabbling in musicals since 1993’s Cannibal! The Musical — await the debut of season 27 of South Park, the official announcement of their forthcoming film with Lamar follows a particularly active few months for the “Humble” rapper.
In March, Lamar teamed up with Future and Metro Boomin for the Billboard Hot 100-topping “Like That,” which include a fiery verse that found him throwing direct shots at fellow blog era superstars Drake and J. Cole. That musical battle has dominated headlines since, with J. Cole responding (“7 Minute Drill) and quickly retracting his reply, while Drake continues to keep fans waiting for his response to Lamar’s call-outs.
Although Lamar boasts four consecutive Billboard 200 chart-toppers and an eye-popping 72 career entires on the Hot 100 — including the No. 1 singles “Humble” (one week), “Bad Blood” (with Taylor Swift, one week) and “Like That” (two weeks) — he’s not the only collaborator on the forthcoming film with some Billboard chart success. On the chart dated July 24, 1999, the South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut soundtrack peaked at No. 28 on the Billboard 200.
