Although Donald Glover will sadly not be returning for Mr. & Mrs. Smith season 2, there is still one upcoming project from the multi-talented performer to look forward to. Glover’s rap artist alter ego, Childish Gambino, released his final album in 2024, Bando Stone & the New World. The record kicked off the rapper’s 2024 New World Tour, and was met with high acclaim. Glover had previously stated that the record was a soundtrack that would accompany a film of the same name, and a trailer for Bando Stone & the New World was released on YouTube in July 2024.
It’s been about 10 months since the trailer came out, with very little news since. Some diehard fans have wondered where the movie is that Glover promised, with some speculating that the Bando Stone movie doesn’t actually exist — which, admittedly, would be in line with the enigmatic rapper’s mysterious persona. Conspiracy theories aside for the moment, let’s just ᴀssume that Bando Stone is a real movie that will presumably be released for public consumption, and look at what we know about its upcoming release.
Bando Stone & The New World Latest News
The Lack of Updates For The Movie Made Fans Question If It Was Real
Since the cancelation of Childish Gambino’s The New World tour in October 2024 due to undisclosed health concerns, there hasn’t been any concrete news about the Bando Stone & the New World movie, including a definitive release date. The lack of updates hasn’t helped quell the rumors from spreading about the film’s existence, but Donald Glover did insist that the movie is real.
In an interview in July 2024 with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the question arose as to whether Bando Stone & the New World was a real film or more of a concept. Glover said,
“No, it’s a movie. I’ve been wanting to make this movie for years. I’ve had this in my head since, like, probably Community days, and I just didn’t have the time. And now I have the time. That’s part of the [reason], I was like ‘I have to finish this to make sure that [the movie] happens.’ So it is a movie.”
Bando Stone & The New World Cast
Donald Glover Directed And Stars In The Movie With His Son, Legend
Donald Glover will direct and star as the тιтular Bando Stone in Bando Stone & the New World, a singer who wakes up one day to find that the world is ending. A comedic actor who started his career in the early 2000s, Glover got his big break playing Troy Barnes in the comedy series Community. He is also well known for playing Lando Calrissian in Solo: A Star Wars Story, as well as starring in the TV shows Atlanta and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
|
Actor |
Role |
|---|---|
|
Donald Glover |
Bando Stone |
|
Jessica Allain |
Unnamed Woman |
|
Legend |
Unnamed Child |
Jessica Allain will appear in Bando Stone & the New World as a currently unnamed character. Allain played Catherine in the 2022 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Mᴀssacre, and was featured in the Peacock original mini-series, The Continental, which takes place in the John Wick universe. Donald Glover’s son, Legend, was also cast in the film in an unnamed role.
Bando Stone & The New World Story Details
Bando Stone Is A Famous Singer Who Teams Up With The Only Humans Left On Earth
The story of Bando Stone & the New World movie ties closely with the soundtrack album of the same name. The plot for the movie on IMDb reads:
“Donald Glover as Bando Stone, a famous musician navigating a world empty of people. He meets a woman and her child, and together they journey through a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world.”
There is no other official synopsis for the movie at this time, so much of the story details for Bando Stone are based on limited information. From what we can glean from this premise, the content of the Bando Stone trailer, and the soundtrack, the story seems to be a message of hope amid difficult times, and people coming together to survive.
Bando Stone & The New World Trailer
The Bando Stone Trailer Has Mystery, Thrills, And A Few Laughs
The trailer for Bando Stone & The New World opens with a sH๏τ of dense jungle, followed by Donald Glover as Bando Stone opening a vine-covered door and calling out, “Hello?” Bando then walks down a gravel road in his bathrobe, pᴀssing by a chicken but seeing no other humans. He goes to the post office, notices that the building is abandoned, then proceeds to a discount store, which is also seemingly empty.
After trading his bathrobe for new clothes from the store, Bando is held at gunpoint by a mysterious woman. He introduces himself as a famous singer, but the woman doesn’t recognize him. The scene cuts to Bando offering to help the woman, who has a child with her, and she tells him that they need to get to “the other side of the island.” During a fireside chat with his newfound companions, Bando is told that traveling by night is too dangerous because, as the child informs him, “that’s when everything comes out.“
The trailer shows flashes of the dangers Bando and his new friends face, including hostile giant creatures, strange lights in the sky, and an unseen human holding a knife. Although Bando’s singing skills seem like a useless contribution to the group’s survival, we do see a sweet moment when Bando bonds with the boy, hugging him while sitting on the floor of a house. There are humorous moments as well, such as when Bando rises out of a lake, claims to be fine, then immediately vomits.
Even for those without much knowledge of Childish Gambino’s music, Bando Stone & the New World looks to be an intriguing ride. Hopefully, we’ll get an update about the movie’s theatrical release very soon.
