Spike Lee to Make First Amazon Original Movie
Amazon Prime is perhaps the second biggest streaming buffet for online video customers on the market. The streaming platform, much like rival Netflix, has been investing heavily in original programming such as TV shows like "Alpha House," "Transparent," "Bosch" and "Mozart In The Jungle."
And now, it is expanding its originals endeavor to include feature films, according to Deadline. The first feature will be the Spike Lee film "Chi-raq."
The film is supposed to be an intimate look at the inner city violence that plagues Chicago's streets. The title of the film plays off the violence that currently inhibits the growth of Iraq and seems to compare the city to the war-torn country that sees far too much violence, which has been accepted as the norm.
Lee has been hailed has a legendary filmmaker with controversial themes that usually closely identify with the persecution of African Americans. His talented skill for filmmaking and bringing to light certain social issues that have long been a plague on society will no doubt play an exclusive role in the film.
"Spike Lee is one of the most distinct and visionary filmmakers of our time," said Ted Hope, head of motion picture production at Amazon Studios.
"It would be impossible to find a better filmmaker with whom to launch our studio. He has a unique voice, a distinct eye, and he tackles important subjects with humor and heart, pointing to solutions and not exploiting the problems. 'Chi-Raq' may be his greatest, and definitely his boldest film yet -- everything about it is distinctive."
Those words echo sentiment of Lee's earlier works, which include "Malcolm X," "He Got Game," "Summer of Sam" and "Inside Man."
Amazon also will produce a Kevin Spacey film titled "Elvis & Nixon."
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