Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott has joined the cast of Pharrell Williams’ upcoming coming-of-age movie musical. Variety reported that the Grammy-winning hip-hop superstar will play an as-yet-undetermined role in the film being produced by Williams and directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).
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Elliott responded to the news with her typical enthusiasm, tweeting, “Ayyyyyye,” followed by a series of emoji including hands up, fire and a dancing woman. The untitled Universal Pictures project set in Skateboard P’s hometown of Virginia Beach in 1977 is inspired by the Atlantis Apartments in Williams’ childhood neighborhood, with a script by Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (Fosse/Verdon).
Elliott joins a cast that already includes Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Oscar nominee Brian Tyree Henry and Oscar winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph. While the legendary rapper/producer/songwriter has appeared in a number of films over the past two decades, mostly as herself, the upcoming musical turn is her first big screen gig since voicing the character Missy in 2004’s Shark Tale. She also appeared in two episodes of the Fox musical drama Star in 2017.
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The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is slated to hit the road this summer for her first-ever headlining tour, the Out of This World — The Missy Elliott Experience, on which she’ll be joined by Ciara, Busta Rhymes and Timbaland on a 24-city outing slated to kick off on July 4 in Vancouver at Rogers Arena and hit Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Tampa, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit and Toronto before winding down in Rosemont, Ill. on August 22.
Check out Elliott’s response below.