Even if the Oscar-nominated BlacKkKlansman is being viewed as something of a career resurgence for the filmmaker behind Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee has always been one of the more prolific auteurs of the 21st century. Before the story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) became the director's most popular film of the decade, Lee released major projects like Chicago drama Chi-Raq and Netflix series She's Gotta Have It to critical acclaim, even if they didn't quite catch on with awards bodies. Still, it's hard not to argue that the runaway success of Lee's latest film- a major prize at Cannes, possible Oscar wins, solid box office- will help him get more projects off the ground. And in something of a small surprise, it looks like the next Spike Lee joint might be closer than we thought.
On Tuesday, Variety exclusively reported that Netflix is "in talks" to serve as the distributor for Spike Lee's next project, a drama about Vietnam veterans titled Da 5 Bloods. The film will follow a group of veterans who return to the jungle "to find their lost innocence," which sounds like a strong concept. The film is quickly assembling a strong cast, led by Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, Jean Reno, and Delroy Lindo. Lee is penning the script with BlacKkKlansman co-scribe Kevin Willmott from an older script by Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo (with rewrites from Matthew Billingsly). Producers on the project include Lee, Beatrice and Lloyd Levin, and Jon Kilik. Per Variety, production will begin next month on the film after the conclusion of the Oscar ceremony.
Two of the biggest stars of the 2018-2019 awards circuit teaming up for a topical Netflix project? You bet I'm in. Boseman is a strong actor, so I'm glad to see that he still has some wiggle room to do other projects outside the MCU. And Lee seems to be on a hot streak right now- BlacKkKlansman easily made my Top 25 list in 2018 and it only gets better and better with each passing day. The project itself sounds somewhat reminiscent of Richard Linklater's recent Last Flag Flying, but I have to wager that Lee wouldn't have signed on if he didn't have something new to say.
With production gearing up for next month, look for much more info on Lee's latest in the coming weeks.
Images: Focus, Marvel/IMDb
On Tuesday, Variety exclusively reported that Netflix is "in talks" to serve as the distributor for Spike Lee's next project, a drama about Vietnam veterans titled Da 5 Bloods. The film will follow a group of veterans who return to the jungle "to find their lost innocence," which sounds like a strong concept. The film is quickly assembling a strong cast, led by Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman, Jean Reno, and Delroy Lindo. Lee is penning the script with BlacKkKlansman co-scribe Kevin Willmott from an older script by Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo (with rewrites from Matthew Billingsly). Producers on the project include Lee, Beatrice and Lloyd Levin, and Jon Kilik. Per Variety, production will begin next month on the film after the conclusion of the Oscar ceremony.
Two of the biggest stars of the 2018-2019 awards circuit teaming up for a topical Netflix project? You bet I'm in. Boseman is a strong actor, so I'm glad to see that he still has some wiggle room to do other projects outside the MCU. And Lee seems to be on a hot streak right now- BlacKkKlansman easily made my Top 25 list in 2018 and it only gets better and better with each passing day. The project itself sounds somewhat reminiscent of Richard Linklater's recent Last Flag Flying, but I have to wager that Lee wouldn't have signed on if he didn't have something new to say.
With production gearing up for next month, look for much more info on Lee's latest in the coming weeks.
Images: Focus, Marvel/IMDb
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