Summary
- Pharrell Williams is bringing his life story to the big screen through Lego animation in an unconventional biopic titled Piece by Piece.
- Directed by Morgan Neville, the film captures the magic and brilliance of Williams’ creative genius.
- Williams’ career spans music, film, and fashion, earning him numerous awards and international recognition.
Pharrell Williams is bringing his life to the big screen through an unconventional biopic titled Piece by Piece. Rather than the typical documentary style biopics audiences are accustomed to seeing, the talented multi-hyphenate will tell his story through Lego animation. The Focus Features film, which lands in theaters on October 11, is described as “an unparalleled motion picture experience that captures the magic and brilliance of Pharrell Williams’ creative genius, one Lego brick at a time.”
Williams shared news of the upcoming film via his Instagram:
Piece by Piece is directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville, who is known for projects including 20 Feet from Stardom, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? In a statement, Neville shared that Williams approached him with the creative idea for Piece by Piece:
“Five years ago, Pharrell Williams approached me with the idea of helping him tell his story through LEGO animation. It was one of those rare moments where I knew in a second that this was a journey I wanted to go on. I’m grateful to our partners at Focus Features and at the LEGO Group for their belief in our crazy mission. We assembled an incredible team of creative collaborators to help make a new type of film. I can’t wait for people to see it,” he said.
Singing the director’s praises, Williams said he could not have “imagined a better partner than Morgan,” calling him a “legend.”
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Pharrell William’s Expanding Legacy
Williams is a talented creator whose influence spans music, film, and fashion. In music, he began his career alongside Chad Hugo in The Neptunes, a songwriting and production duo that produced music for artists including Jay-Z, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Ludacris. In 1999, Williams became the lead vocalist for the band N.E.R.D., and in 2006, he released his first solo album. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020.
Through his decades-long career, Williams has earned 13 Grammy Awards and two Academy Award nods (for Despicable Me 2‘s song “Happy” and for serving as a producer on 2016’s Hidden Figures). In film and television, Williams has worked on Netflix’s Brainchild, Dope, and Amazon’s Harlem. Last year, Williams was named Louis Vuitton’s Menswear Creative Director, succeeding the late Virgil Abloh.
“Pharrell Williams is a true trailblazer whose influence across music, art and fashion continually reshapes global culture with an undeniable sense of joy. In partnering with the inimitable Morgan Neville and the limitless creativity of the LEGO brand his visionary spirit comes to life in a wholly unique and uplifting way that will inspire everyone to dance, to sing, and to use their voice to build the world they want to see, brick by brick, and piece by piece,” Focus Features Chairman Peter Kujawski said.
Piece by Piece is produced by Neville and Caitrin Rogers (Tremolo Productions) alongside Williams, Mimi Valdés, and Shani Saxon (i am OTHER). The Lego Group’s Jill Wilfert and Keith Malone executive produce.
Piece by Piece premieres October 11.
