A year ago, it was announce that Spike Lee would get involved in the theater world by directing 'Stalag 17', based on the film. Then one of the producers of that production, Micael Abbott, died suddenly last year, the production never got off the ground. Hence, no show.
Today, Lee has set his vision on filming the critically acclaimed Tony nominated musical 'Passing Strange'.
At a press conference held today, the producers of the show confirmed that Lee will start filming the rock musical at the Belasco Theatre on July 19 before a live audience for both the matinee and evening performances.
Lee and his crew will later film the musical two additional times without an audience present.
Lee stated the following, 'As a filmmaker, the greatest artists on this earth to me are musicians because I feel their talents have come directly from God. And when I saw the play at the Public I was knocked out. The story, its musicianship and the acting was a revelation. I wondered [then] whether this was going to make the move uptown to Broadway. I was honored that we could get things worked out so that what we're doing is hybrid. When they made "Rent" they didn't film the play; they made a movie of it. We are doing something that's not been tried before. So often, when you see a great piece of theater, it's gone unless you look at an archive of it at Lincoln Center. But this is a great piece of work and it's going to be documented for many generations to see.'
It hasn't been determined if the film, once completely, will air on cable TV or play in theaters. According to Playbill.com, financing the film are Steve Klein and business partners Ken Grief, Larry Horn and Will Kohane, who have signed on as executive producers. 40 Acres and a Mule is the production company for the shoot with Butch Robinson line producing and David Miller and Janet Pailet are associate producing.
Passing Strange features a Tony Award-winning book and lyrics by Stew and music by Stew and his longtime musical partner Heidi Rodewald of The Negro Problem.
The musical – which opened on Broadway Feb. 28 following a critically lauded run at the Public Theater last summer – features the original Public cast, including Stew, de'Adre Aziza, Daniel Breaker, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge and Rebecca Naomi Jones.
The semi-autobiographical musical incorporates elements of Stew's life to tell the story of a young black bohemian who leaves behind his middle-class, church-ruled upbringing in Los Angeles to travel abroad in search of his artistic and personal identity.
1. Hopefully, Spike Lee sticks to what he knows best, making movies and going to basketball games. His anti-Jackson remarks showed him to be just another one track minded robot walking off a cliff no questions asked for the perpetrating a fraud Obama. And to think I stood up for Spike Lee in his spat with Clint Eastwood and he turns around and throws a slap at Rev. Jesse Jackson. Rev. Jackson has earned his place in American history as a great black American, while you Sir will probably best be remembered as producing black explortation flicks.
Analyst at 10:18AM on Jul 17th 2008