Beyoncé is coming to Los Angeles this weekend to play three sold-out shows at SoFi Stadium as part of her Renaissance World Tour, and there will surely be plenty of Hollywood executives in the crowd — including some lucky executives who have already seen a piece of Beyoncé-produced media that the general public does not yet know exists.
To that end, Above the Line has exclusively learned that Queen Bey and her Parkwood Entertainment banner are shopping a new Renaissance visual album to studios and streamers, though there haven’t been any takers just yet.
The film was directed by Nadia Lee Cohen, a British artist, photographer, and rising filmmaker who has shot numerous magazine covers and music videos, having worked with artists such as Tyler the Creator, A$AP Rocky, Katy Perry, and Kali Uchis, and brands including Adidas, Balenciaga, Gucci, and Valentino.
Sources say that Renaissance is “artsy” and in line with Beyoncé’s other visual albums Lemonade and Black Is King, but also “weirder,” saying it hasn’t been Disney-fied like the latter film, which won an Emmy for its striking costumes.
“It’s a visual album movie, but it’s like an art film, and I’ve also heard it’s better than Black Is King,” added the source.
The individual said that Renaissance has been completed, but that it remains in limbo, explaining that select studios and streamers actually got a look at the project between four and six months ago, but they passed at the time. Asked why, the source could only speculate, saying, “I’m guessing the price and lack of replay value for the casual viewer” is why it hasn’t sold yet, though they also suggested the possibility that “maybe Beyoncé didn’t like how it turned out? I don’t know…”
Beyoncé helped direct her first visual album Lemonade, which began streaming on her husband Jay-Z‘s Tidal platform in April 2016 before being released on HBO and earning four Emmy nominations. She then wrote, directed, and executive produced her next visual album, Black Is King, which debuted on Disney+ on July 31, 2020.
With studios and streamers growing increasingly hungry for content in lieu of Hollywood’s ongoing double strike, it’s possible that one could reconsider its earlier pass on Renaissance — that is if, in fact, the film is still on the market. According to our source, it is, though it’s always possible that a stealth deal has been made.
Cohen did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and the director’s manager at Anonymous Content had no comment, referring ATL‘s inquiry to Parkwood, which also did not respond, nor did Beyoncé’s personal publicist. Stay tuned for more details, as I have a feeling we’ll be hearing more about this project once legacy media outlets start asking Team Beyoncé for comment…
