Is Bando Stone & The New World Actually Happening? Release Date, Plot, Cast, and Everything We Know About Donald Glover's Next Epic

Donald Glover really did make a sci-fi movie called 'Bando Stone & The New World.' It exists. It’s finished. There’s a trailer. And yet... nothing on when we actually get to see it. Here’s the full picture of what this thing is, who’s in it, and why it’s MIA.

What it is

'Bando Stone & The New World' is a feature film that pairs with Childish Gambino’s 2024 album of the same name, which he positioned as his final Gambino record. Glover pulls double duty here: he directed the movie and stars as the title character. The whole project is designed to connect with the album, so it’s not just a vibe match — it’s a true companion piece.

The premise, minus the mystery

Bando Stone is a famous musician who wakes up to find that almost everyone has vanished. He drifts through an empty, overgrown world until he crosses paths with a woman and a young kid. The three of them band together and try to survive as the environment gets stranger and more dangerous. Think post-apocalyptic road movie smashed into sci-fi and survival horror — the trailer teases bizarre creatures and unsettling hazards, like giant squids, odd bird-like things, and even neon lights that feel actively hostile.

Cast

• Donald Glover as Bando Stone, and he directed the film
• Jessica Allain as the woman who confronts him and later teams up
• Legend (Glover’s son) as the unnamed child

What the trailer shows

It opens on an overgrown jungle, then cuts to Bando stumbling around in a bathrobe, yelling to see if anyone’s left. Streets are empty. He eventually changes into normal clothes and immediately finds a gun in his face — the woman doesn’t recognize him or his fame. From there, he falls in with her and the kid as they try to reach safety while dodging the weirdness lurking in this new landscape. Visually, it’s slick and eerie, with a surreal edge that matches the album’s mood.

Release status: the big question

As of July 2024, the movie was officially listed as completed and waiting for release (per Movie Insider). There still wasn’t a release date, even though the trailer had already been out for a year by that point, and updates since then have been scarce. No official word on why it’s taking so long to roll out.

Why it stands out

Beyond the album tie-in, the setup is intriguingly weird: a musician wandering an abandoned world, forming a fragile trio, and facing off against things that don’t look remotely friendly. It’s intimate and ambitious at the same time, and the father-son casting adds a personal wrinkle. Whenever it finally drops, expect a full-bodied Glover swing — stylish, off-center, and probably not what anyone else would make.