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Since putting out the stunning Nostalgia, Ultra EP in 2011, Frank Ocean has only released two albums: 2012’s Channel Orange and 2016’s Blonde, both stone-cold masterpieces. (There’s also the visual album Endless, but that was mainly an opportunity to f*ck over Def Jam.) Ocean has teased that a new album might be in the works, but like another member of the Odd Future collective, he has other creative passions — including directing a movie?
Here’s everything we know about the rumored Untitled Frank Ocean Movie, as I’m going to call it for lack of an official title, including plot details and the cast.
Plot
Back in 2022, Discussing Film reported that Ocean is “looking to write and direct his own feature film,” and that “indie distributors A24 and 2AM are in talks to make it happen.”
No plot details were provided, but if a Frank Ocean-directed movie is going to end up anywhere, it’s A24. His songs are all over 2019’s Waves (“I was listening to those albums and dreaming about making this movie,” writer and director Trey Edward Shults said), and he wrote the forward to the Moonlight screenplay book. 2AM is less established, having only been founded in 2021, but the production company is building a promising track record: Bodies Bodies Bodies, Past Lives, and the upcoming (and very erotic) Babygirl.
That initial news — which, it’s worth nothing, hasn’t been confirmed by A24 — was the last we heard about Untitled Frank Ocean Movie. Until…
Cast
The InSneider‘s Jeff Sneider reported this week that Taylor Russell is “in talks” to star in Untitled Frank Ocean Movie.
The actress previously starred in Waves, so there is a loose connection to Ocean, although she’s best known for her magnificent performance in Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal romance Bones and All. Russell’s co-star in Bones and All? Timothée Chalamet, who was interviewed by Ocean back in 2018.
You can read the highlights here (the original source, VMan, doesn’t work anymore), but my favorite part is when Ocean brings up Chalamet’s high school alter ego, rapper Timmy T. “Oh, f*ck. I can’t believe you saw the statistics video. That’s embarrassing,” the Dune: Part Two actor said, to which Ocean replied, “I saw it on Ellen. I figured if Ellen’s talking about it, then it’s fair game.” (2018 was only six years ago, but it feels like 60.)
Release Date
No release date has been announced, and as someone on the Frank Ocean subreddit joked (?), “Well once Frank sees this post, he’ll probably scrap the whole project.”
Trailer
I’m thinkin bout the Untitled Frank Ocean Movie trailer… which unfortunately doesn’t exist yet. Hopefully soon!
