The Internet is buzzing today after the trailer for Pharrell Williams’ upcoming LEGO biopic, Piece By Piece, dropped. And no, it’s not an AI prank; it’s a real movie by Focus Features releasing this fall — and it actually looks a lot deeper than you’d think.
Williams is using the movie to tell everyone how God pieced his life together — literally.
“This film is about my life and how God is continuing to give me the pieces that put it together — piece by piece — and to have really amazing people along the journey in my constellation,” Williams told Variety. “To all the stars, musically, and all my teachers and everybody who has contributed to this constellation.”
To be clear, Piece By Piece is about Williams’ whole life story, not just his faith journey. The animated film chronicles his humble beginnings in Virginia to his success as one of the most respected names in pop music. LEGO versions of Kendrick Lamar, Jay Z, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Timbaland and Busta Rhymes also appear in the movie, but there’s one character whose presence is at the center of the story: God.
“There are two new songs for the movie,” Williams said. “One is made for a specific scene. And the other one is made for a specific scene but tells the story; it’s like my thesis — [which is] that God is the greatest, that awareness, just understanding that that’s the story.”
This isn’t the first time Williams has combined his faith with music and film. Back in 2020, Williams starred in the Netflix docuseries Voices of Fire, directing a gospel choir alongside his uncle, Bishop Ezekiel Williams. He spoke with RELEVANT about the power of faith and art, and the impact it can have on everyone in the room.
“When the wind blows, you can’t see the wind,” he told RELEVANT. “No one’s ever seen the wind ever, right? But when the wind blows across the trees and leaves, we can see its pattern. And that’s the same way we see the Spirit wash over people in the church when the church catches fire. When the Spirit just jumps out of nowhere because of a chord change or a particular part of the song, you just see it.”
We’ll see the full story come to life — well, to LEGO? — when the movie drops in theaters on October 11.
