While much of the world may be on an enforced hiatus owing to the global pandemic, the legend that is influential American director, Spike Lee, is still boasting a pretty full cinematic schedule. Despite being unable to take up the helm of this year’s jury at the Cannes Film Festival due to it’s Corona-related cancellation, there are plenty of Spike projects to keep you busy in isolation.
Following on from last week’s release of his most recent film, Da 5 Bloods — Lee’s story of five African American veterans of the Vietnam war now streaming on Netflix — HBO has announced that they will air a filmed version of the Broadway show “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” later this year.
“Spike and I have crossed paths many times over the years, obviously I’m a huge fan and now finally here was an opportunity for us to work together,” David told Variety of the collaboration. The theatrical concert takes its name from Byrne’s seventh solo album released in 2018, sees the Talking Heads frontman collaborate with 11 other musicians to perform modified tracks from the album as well as some Talking Heads hits, in what HBO’s Nina Rosenstein is calling a “uniquely transformative experience.”
The show originally ran at Broadway’s Hudson Theatre from October 20, 2019 to February 16, 2020. Though the project was slated to make its return, this is good news for Byrne fans who missed out on the initial run, as any future extensions or revivals are unlikely to be in the near future as Broadway still reckons with the mass shutdown brought on by Covid-19. HBO has not yet given a release date for the project, though it has told audiences to expect a 2020 release. We already can’t wait.
Want to get into Spike Lee’s legendary filmography, but not sure where to start? Read our handy guide that will get you familiar with the endlessly acclaimed auteur of American cinema.