Michael Mayer to Helm Pharrell Williams-Inspired Movie Musical

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Broadway helmer and Tony Award winner Michael Mayer will direct a new movie musical for FOX inspired by multi-Grammy Award winner Pharrell Williams. Titled ATLANTIS, the project is described as "a Romeo and Juliet style story (with a music element) inspired by Williams' childhood in Virginia Beach."

Michael Mayer, known for his Broadway work on such Broadway musicals as HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, ON A CLEAR DAY, EVERYDAY RAPTURE, SPRING AWAKENING (Tony Award), AMERICAN IDIOT and THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, will direct from a script by 'Toy Story' writer Martin Hynes. Mayer's film credits include 2006's Flicka and the upcoming film The Seagull starring Saoirse Ronan.

Singer-songwriter Williams has won 10 GRAMMY AWARDS and has produced soul, hop-hop and R&B music for some of the music industry's top-selling recording artists. He has performed as lead vocalist for the band N*E*R*D. His solo albums include 2006's In My Mind (2006) and and 2014's Girl. Most recently he served as a producer on Fox's Oscar nominated film Hidden Figures, for which he also wrote original songs.

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