Today (June 6), Pharrell Williams unveiled a trailer for his upcoming biopic, titled Piece By Piece, which will depict his life story using LEGO animation. The clip cleverly opened with a LEGO version of Pharrell discussing the idea with director Morgan Neville, who elicited a surprise reaction in the scene.
Piece By Piece will showcase Pharrell's journey from his early days in Virginia to his rise as a prominent figure in the music industry. Many others, including Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, JAY-Z, and Snoop Dogg, were also confirmed to make animated appearances. Additionally, viewers will enjoy a collection of the N.E.R.D. frontman's hit songs, including "Happy," "Drop It Like It's Hot," and "Rockstar." As he revealed to Variety, Pharrell even created new music specifically for the film.
“There are two new compositions. One is made for a specific scene. And the other one is made for a specific scene but tells the story," he explained. "It’s like my thesis — [which is] that God is the greatest, that awareness, just understanding that that’s the story. The rest of the music is music that [Chad Hugo] and I made together and songs also that I made by myself, and that we produced and wrote for other people. It’s one big fun musical documentary biopic.”
In that same interview, Pharrell spoke on the reasoning behind utilizing LEGO animation to tell his story on the big screen. "We wanted it to be a medium for anyone that just wanted to hear a good, aspirational, inspiring story told vividly, in a way that felt like it could apply to them personally," he said. "That they’d realize that, at 7 years old or 77 years old, they could wake up tomorrow and go tell their story, piece by piece."
Check out the trailer below. Piece By Piece is scheduled to hit theaters Oct. 11.