Kendrick Lamar’s movie with ‘South Park’ creators: What we know and why people are talking about it
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Get ready to wait for that new Kendrick Lamar project.
No, not music. We’re talking about his planned movie with Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of “South Park.”
It had already been announced that the film’s release date had been pushed back from July 4, 2025 to March 20, 2026, given that Lamar was busy with his “Grand National Tour” featuring collaborator and co-headliner singer SZA. Stone and Parker also had “South Park” commitments.
But buried in a recent story from The Hollywood Reporter about Paramount under the ownership of the Ellison family was news that “In recent days, Paramount revealed that it won’t be ready for that date, as word broke elsewhere that Lamar may go on tour.” It was recently reported that Lamar may head out on tour again in 2026.
Now that we know why people are talking again about the project, here is more of what we know:
Live-action meets anti-racism
According to THR, the film is internally known as “Whitney Springs.”
It is described as a “live-action, music-infused comedy skewering racism” which centers “on a young Black man who takes a job performing as a slave at a popular plantation attraction, and who grows quickly wary about the entire situation.”
Why it makes sense
The Pulitzer Prize winning-rapper is well known for addressing racism in his work and performances.
Lamar used his 2025 Super Bowl Halftime Show performance to symbolically call the United States out with actor Samuel L. Jackson dressed in an Uncle Sam ensemble offering what Billboard referred to as “Greek chorus-like commentary on the racial state of the nation.”
Parker and Stone know a lot about that type of creativity.
The pair have been using the current season to criticize President Trump and his administration since the buzzy first episode premiered in July.
Who is involved?
Vernon Chatman, whose other credits include “The Chris Rock Show” and “The Shivering Truth,” reportedly wrote the script. Lamar and Dave Free via their company PGLang produced alongside Stone and Parker with their Park County production company.
Are there any other details?
Much isn’t known, including the actual title of the film.
But, apparently, it’s funny.
THR reported that at CinemaCon in 2024 then Paramount co-chief executive officer Brian Robbins said the movie was “one of the funniest and most original scripts we’ve ever read.”
CNN has reached out to reps for Paramount, Lamar, Stone and Parker for comment.
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