The creators of South Park, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, have apologized for the delay of a collaboration that fans have been anticipating for years. They took “full responsibility” for the several reschedules, but said they “still believe in the project”.
The apology came via The Ankler, in a report that put the delayed musical comedy’s budget somewhere between $70 million and $150 million. That’s a big project to continually put on the back burner. Aside from Stone and Parker, there are some other high-profile names attached to the project.
In 2021, Paramount execs went to Parker and Stone to read the script. Written by Vernon Chatman with the working title Whitney Springs, it used musical comedy as the vehicle for a story about reparations for slavery. Presenting a serious subject through a ridiculous medium is, of course, South Park‘s oeuvre.
By January 2022, Paramount had picked up the project. Parker would direct, while Stone would produce alongside Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free. Lamar’s company pgLang was also attached. Whitney Springs would get as far as Paramount’s 2026 schedule before being shelved indefinitely.
‘South Park’ Creators Issue Apology for Continual Delay of Kendrick Lamar-Produced Comedy Musical Film
The movie’s premise focuses on a young Black historical re-enactor as its main character, an employee at the slave plantation museum of a fictional Midwest town. This character lashes out at tourists visiting the museum and also takes aim at the town’s racist mayor, played by Parker.
In 2024, then-Paramount Pictures boss Brian Robbins said the project was “one of the funniest and most original scripts we’ve ever read”. Robbins promised the film for production that summer. Allegedly, it also included original music by Kendrick Lamar.
Initially, the film was set to debut on July 4, 2025. But upheavals and mergers at Paramount seem to have cost South Park fans the film. It was pushed back to March 20, 2026, just before the Paramount-Skydance merger finalized. By November 2025, however, it disappeared without a trace from Paramount’s roster altogether.
With David Ellison as the new Paramount boss, the film is languishing in obscurity. Ellison’s $11 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. is still hitting roadblocks with several state attorneys general. But his alleged abuse of power to sidestep federal antitrust law has tarnished some opinions of the company. Additionally, during Ellison’s first appearance at CinemaCon in 2026, he never mentioned the film. Yet another disappointment for patiently waiting fans.
“We take full responsibility for the schedule delay of this movie,” the South Park creators told The Ankler in a statement. “We apologize to our partners at pgLang and Paramount and we appreciate their patience. South Park and life’s circumstances have gotten in the way but we still believe in the project.”
Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Paramount+
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