Apology for Film Delays
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, have issued a statement taking full responsibility for the repeated postponements of their upcoming musical comedy film with Kendrick Lamar. The movie, which has been using the working title Whitney Springs, is currently undated after being pulled from the calendar multiple times. In a statement published by The Ankler on Wednesday, the pair apologized to their partners at pgLang and Paramount Pictures, expressing gratitude for their patience and insisting they still believe in the project.[S1]
The musical comedy, made by Parker and Stone's Park County outfit together with Lamar and Dave Free's pgLang label, had been slated for July 4, 2025, then postponed because of Lamar's touring schedule and South Park work. A March 20, 2026 date followed before the studio pulled it in November, per The Hollywood Reporter. The Ankler says the story concerns a Black reenactor at a slave plantation museum who comes into conflict with a racist Midwestern mayor portrayed by Parker, and that unreleased Lamar tracks appear in the film.[S1]
Vernon Chatman, a producer on South Park, wrote the screenplay for the film, which has not yet announced any cast members. In November, Park County and pgLang released a statement saying they were working hard to finish the movie. At CinemaCon in April 2024, Brian Robbins, then Paramount's film chief, praised the script as one of the funniest and most original they had ever read. Robbins left his position last year during the Paramount-Skydance merger, which resulted in David Ellison becoming chairman and CEO of the studio.[S1]
Show Renamed in Trump Satire
Separately, Parker and Stone said their long-running animated show would be retitled from South Park to South America, a jab at President Donald Trump's recent proposals to rename places. Over the weekend Trump suggested calling New Mexico "New America," having earlier signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" and the Gulf of Mexico "the Gulf of America." Those labels now appear on maps from Apple and Google. The creators told The Independent they were moved by the companies' courage and patriotism, and thanked parent company Paramount, which they called a Skydance capitulation.[S2]
The series returns for a 29th season next week, debuting Wednesday, September 16. On Sunday it collected its fifth Emmy for Best Animated Show, the first since 2013, after a season that repeatedly ridiculed Trump. Viewership climbed as the show took aim at Trump and his administration, with its satirical take on the president running through season 27 last year. The official South Park Instagram account marked the 2026 Creative Arts Emmys win with an image of Trump holding a trophy beside other characters, pants and underwear down, and a caption saying he finally got his Emmy.[S2]
Trump has long groused about the TV awards because he never won for The Apprentice, the business competition he fronted from 2004 to 2015. In 2012 he posted on X that the Emmys were horrendous and the absolute worst show, adding in another message that the Emmys are all politics, which is why The Apprentice never won despite nominations. Speaking to The New York Times last year, Parker and Stone explained the heavy Trump presence in the last season. Parker said they did not get all political, politics simply became pop culture. Stone said criticizing the Trump administration had turned taboo, and that draws them like flies to honey.[S2]
