Pharrell Williams To Produce Unscripted Series For Netflix
Pharrell Williams may be better known for his music, but now the singer is venturing into other facets of the entertainment industry as he is set to produce an unscripted series for streaming giant Netflix.
Variety reports that the 47-year-old will be the executive producer of the show Voices of Fire, an unscripted series that will follow Bishop Ezekiel Williams as he strives to build an inspiring gospel choir. Bishop Ezekiel Williams is Pharrell’s uncle.
To build the choir, Williams and a group of gospel leaders will audition talent all around Hampton Roads in Virginia. Williams and his group will look at all backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages, all in an effort to come up with a gospel choir that is truly diverse.
Aside from being executive producer, Pharrell will also make on-camera appearances on the show. Joining Pharrell as executive producers are Bianca Barnes-Williams, A. Smith & Co.’s Frank Sinton and Arthur Smith, and I Am Other’s Mimi Valdés.
Voices of Fire is reportedly only one of the projects Pharrell is working on with Netflix. Aside from the unscripted series, the musician is supposedly developing a musical about Juneteenth for the streaming giant. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of those who have been enslaved in the United States.
Quoting a press release, CNN says Netflix has labeled Bishop Ezekiel Williams a “well-respected musical genius” and scheduled the series premiere in the latter half of this year.
Voice of Fire is just the latest Netflix offering that involves Black creators. Earlier in the week, the streaming giant announced that it would be producing a six-part series titled Colin in Black and White that will focus on athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick.
Colin in Black and White will look back at Colin Kaepernick’s years as a high school quarterback and show how that shaped his future as an activist for civil rights. Kaepernick will be the executive producer of Colin in Black and White alongside Ava DuVernay and Michael Starrbury. He will also participate in the show as a narrator.
On rival streaming platform Disney+, music superstar Beyoncé is set to premiere Black Is King, a visual album that she wrote, directed, and executive produced. Also taking part in Black Is King are some of the artists that took part in The Lion King: The Gift album.
Kaepernick has also inked a deal with Disney, with a documentary series on his recent years as the first project being worked on. Kaepernick’s Disney deal also gets his projects access to other Disney units like Pixar, The Undefeated, Hulu, ESPN, and Walt Disney Television.