Since he launched his feature directorial career with She’s Gotta Have It, the longest break Spike Lee has taken between narrative films is the four years between 2008’s Miracle at St. Anna and 2012’s Red Hook Summer. With it being three years since 2020’s Da 5 Bloods, we’ve been awaiting word on when his next film would be confirmed and now it looks like a contender has emerged with Da Understudy.
In what would mark a reteam with Jonathan Majors––who starred in Da 5 Bloods and is enjoying a major moment in the spotlight with Magazine Dreams, Creed III, and the Marvel Machine––and the actor is set to star and produce the film from Westbrook Studios and Amazon Studios, Deadline reports. Lee is in early talks to direct the film, which is scripted by Tom Hanada, Zach Strauss, and Tyler Cole. The film tells the story of life imitating art when the understudy of a Broadway production finds a role he’s willing to kill for.
Lee has circled a number of projects in recent years, including a Viagra musical and Prince of Cats, a 1980s hip-hop take on Romeo & Juliet, but neither seemed to have moved forward. As we await more details on the project, watch Spike Lee’s recent extended conversation at BFI.