2019 Emmy Awards: Donald Glover’s “Guava Island” Out of Race

Shocking reports reveal Donald Glover will not be a 2019 Emmys contender, after all.

Glover’s acclaimed FX show Atlanta, for which he won best directing for a comedy series and best actor in a comedy series Emmys in 2017, was not on the air over the past year, but a side project of his, Guava Island, was — on Amazon Prime — and was widely expected to be a top contender in the Emmy categories.

However, contrary to reports previously published by other outlets, The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Guava Island will not even be submitted for voter consideration.

Glover, 35, feels that Guava Island — a 54-minute blend of music and visuals which premiered at the Coachella Music Festival on April 11, is a film, not a television program, and therefore does seem fit to be competing alongside TV programming at the Emmys, THR reports.

Earlier reports indicated that Guava Island would be entered for Emmy consideration in the best variety special (pre-recorded) category, which would have pitted it against another music superstar’s unconventional but acclaimed blend of music and visuals, Beyonce Knowles’ Homecoming which is now streaming on Netflix.

Also competing in the category: Netflix’s Springsteen on Broadway, CBS’s Carpool Karaoke: When Corden Met McCartney Live from Liverpool, Fox’s Rent: Live (in this category because it wasn’t live) and a host of stand-up comedy specials — the backers of which must now be breathing a slight sigh of relief.

Reportedly inspired by Purple Rain and City of God, Guava Island was shot in Cuba over four weeks last summer, from a script by Stephen Glover, Donald’s brother, and under the direction of Hiro Murai, who also helmed numerous episodes of Atlanta and the breakout Gambino music video “This Is America.”