Pharrell Williams and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris are in talks with Netflix to develop a musical film around Juneteenth, The Hollywood Reporter confirms.
Although discussions are still in early stages, the feature-length film would be produced with Pharrell and his partner Mimi Valdes and made through Barris’ production company Khalabo Ink Society. Details about the story are still under wraps, but sources close to the project claim the Netflix feature will be separate from a Juneteenth stage musical the pair also has in the works.
Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, marks the end of slavery in the US on June 19, 1865. While the date hasn’t been acknowledged as an official holiday, the current popularity of the Black Lives Matter movement is bringing discussions about the holiday to light once again.
Just this week, Pharrell’s home state of Virginia finally acknowledged the day as a paid holiday, with hopes that other states will follow suit. Kenya Barris also previously shed light on the importance of the holiday in a Juneteenth special episode on his hit Netflix show #blackAF.