Trey Parker is directing an upcoming American comedy film from a screenplay by Vernon Chatman. It is co-produced by Parker and longtime creative collaborator Matt Stone through Park County, along with Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free through PGLang. Filming began in October 2024.
| Untitled Trey Parker film | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Trey Parker |
| Written by | Vernon Chatman |
| Produced by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film is set to be released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on July 4, 2025.
Premise
editThe film will depict the past and present coming to a head, when a young Black man who is interning as a slave reenactor at a living history museum discovers that his white girlfriend's ancestors once owned his.[1]
Production
editDevelopment
editTrey Parker and Matt Stone have worked with Vernon Chatman on their animated sitcom South Park since 2001. In addition to serving as a producer and writing consultant for the series, Chatman has voiced the anthropomorphic recurring character Towelie since the character's titular episodic debut.[2]
The untitled film will mark the first theatrical collaboration, and second overall, between Parker, Stone, Kendrick Lamar, and Dave Free. Parker and Stone developed the deepfakes used in the music video for Lamar's promotional single "The Heart Part 5" (2022) through their artificial intelligence startup studio Deep Voodoo.[3] The film will also mark the first feature film to be produced through PGLang, Lamar and Free's creative company, and Park County, Parker and Stone's re-named production company.[4]
Pre-production
editThe untitled live action film was announced by Deadline Hollywood on January 13, 2022. Chatman penned the screenplay, which Brian Robbins, president and chief executive officer of Paramount Pictures, called "one of the funniest and original scripts" he has ever read.[1][5] When news broke of the film's development, a director was not yet attached. By March 2023, Parker had reportedly signed on to direct the film.[6][7]
Filming
editPrincipal photography was initially scheduled to commence in the spring of 2022,[1] but was pushed back due to Parker and Stone's prior commitments to South Park.[6] Paramount confirmed during the company's CinemaCon presentation on April 11, 2024, that production was set to begin during the summer.[8] Filming ultimately began in October in Pomona, California.[9]
Release
editParamount Pictures will handle the film's theatrical distribution, home entertainment, and television licensing rights, with Paramount+ acquiring streaming rights.[4] In an accompanying statement, Robbins wrote that the film studio and the wider ViacomCBS family were "look[ing] forward to ushering in the first theatrical collaboration from these creative visionaries, and galvanizing audiences worldwide around a powerful storytelling experience."[1] The untitled film is scheduled to be released in theaters on July 4, 2025, in a nod to American Independence Day.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Grobar, Matt (January 13, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar, Dave Free & 'South Park' Duo Matt Stone And Trey Parker To Produce Comedy Penned By Vernon Chatman For Paramount". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ "Who does the voices for the characters on South Park?". Comedy Central. April 23, 2002. Archived from the original on May 14, 2011. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ Aswad, Jem (May 9, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar's 'The Heart Part 5' Video Kicks Off Partnership With 'South Park' Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone". Variety. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Mamo, Heran (January 14, 2022). "Kendrick Lamar & Dave Free to Produce Comedy Film With 'South Park' Creators". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 14, 2022. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Bankhurst, Adam (April 11, 2024). "South Park Creators and Kendrick Lamar's Comedy Movie Gets a July 2025 Release Date". IGN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Sneider, Jeff (March 22, 2023). "Exclusive: Trey Parker to Direct Untitled Paramount Comedy From Producers Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free". Above the Line. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Kenneally, Cerys (March 24, 2023). "South Park co-creator Trey Parker revealed as director for Kendrick Lamar-produced comedy film". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ a b Gajewski, Ryan (April 11, 2024). "'South Park' Creators Matt Stone, Trey Parker Set Live-Action Comedy With Kendrick Lamar at Paramount". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Moore, Sam (October 1, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Spotted Filming Debut Movie With 'SOUTH PARK' Creators". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 2, 2024.