It's been a lot of years since Spike Lee has had a film that was relevant to the awards season. Could that be about to change? Lee has partnered with Amazon Studios for his latest film, Chi-Raq, which has already stirred up some controversy between the director and Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel. But in a surprise move, the film will be getting a theatrical release courtesy of Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate, and an even bigger surprise is that it will be this year, which is why the first trailer is here now.
Starring Samuel L. Jackson, Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, and John Cusack, the film is a modernization of Aristophanes' Greek play “Lysistrata”, in which the women held back sex to stop the men from their warring ways. Lee has tweaked the plot to center on Chicago's skyrocketing murder rate. Here's the synopsis:
Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes. After the murder of a Child by a stray bullet, a group of women led by Lysistrata organize against the on-going violence in Chicago’s Southside creating a movement that challenges the nature of race, sex and violence in America and around the world.
Hard-hitting social commentary has always been where Lee is best, and this trailer looks like it could find him back in form. However, the same could have been said for some of his previous efforts that missed the mark, so we'll just have to wait and see. Chi-Raq hits theaters and Amazon Prime on December 4th.
