Paramount Shelves $100 Million 'Whitney Springs' as Parker and Stone Cite Delays

Q: With the film missing its 2026 release, will Kendrick Lamar’s highly anticipated unreleased soundtrack ever see the light of day?

There is no confirmed plan for Kendrick Lamar’s unreleased soundtrack to be released, and for now its fate is tied to whether *Whitney Springs* is eventually finished. What is clear is that Lamar did record original music for the film, and multiple reports describe it as one of the project’s strongest elements. But the movie has been pulled from Paramount’s release calendar after missing both its 2025 and 2026 dates, and neither Paramount nor pgLang has announced a soundtrack strategy, release window, or standalone album. That leaves a few realistic paths. If Parker and Stone complete the film and Paramount revives it, the music could still arrive as part of the movie rollout, much like a traditional soundtrack campaign. If the film remains stalled, Lamar and pgLang could theoretically repurpose some songs for another project or issue selected tracks separately, but there is no reporting that this is being planned. The strongest evidence against the soundtrack being lost entirely is that the filmmakers publicly said they still believe in the project and are “working hard at finishing the movie.” Trade coverage also suggests the film is delayed rather than formally canceled. So the most accurate answer is: maybe, but not anytime soon. Until the film gets a new release date or the music is spun off into its own release, Lamar’s soundtrack remains unreleased and uncertain.

3 articles · Updated · The Ankler. · Sep 9

$100 million-plus 'Whitney Springs,' a live-action reparations musical from Trey Parker and Matt Stone, has been removed from Paramount’s release schedule after first slipping from July 2025 to March 2026.
Parker and Stone said 'South Park and life’s circumstances' delayed the film, while the report says rough early cuts and the movie’s politics also contributed to the holdup.
Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free are producing, and people close to the project said Lamar’s unreleased songs are among its strongest elements; the script had previously been praised internally as one of Paramount’s funniest and most original.
David Ellison’s Paramount now holds the stranded project while navigating the aftermath of his $111 billion Warner Bros. Discovery deal and a fight with 12 state attorneys general, adding pressure around a film centered on slavery reparations.