Now that Spike Lee’s banked some studio goodwill courtesy of the mainstream success of March’s heist thriller Inside Man (not to mention his well-received Hurricane Katrina doc for HBO), the director is returing to more familiar (read: controversial) ground: He’s teaming with Inside producer Brian Grazer on a drama about the 1992 L.A. riots following the Rodney King trial. Currently being written by John Ridley (Undercover Brother), the script is expected before the end of the year and may very well be Spike’s next project (the other option is a sequel — his first! — to Inside Man).
Personally, I think the collaboration is an excellent match-up. While Lee’s films of the past five years have been hit-or-miss (She Hate Me being a particular low), this project seems brimming with Do the Right Thing potential and significance. Plus, there’s no way the film can be any worse than The L.A. Riot Spectacular, a truly atrocious movie I saw at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival that featured, among other things, Jonathan Lipnicki as a tween white supremacist and George Hamilton as the "voice" of L.A. Now that was painful.
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REGINA MILLER, YOU STINK (was my fave line during the NBA strike)!
I can’t wait for Spike Lee’s next movie. The Inside Man was one of the best heist movies EVER (sorry Sexy Beast, you’ve been knocked off my chart), and the painfully underrated 25th Hour was one of the few post-911 NYC tribute movies worth seeing.
The cat’s been one of my favorite directors since “School Daze” and it remains my dream to sit next to the Spike and smacktalk the Knicks while he hates on the opposing team. Doyaknow doyaknow doyaknow?
I think that he should just fuse the Crown Heights riot and the LA riot into one movie and make a statement about race related problems and how violence only adds to the flame. He did this with Do The Right Thing, and it can work again. PS: Girl 6 was awful.
I’m very excited for this
and in a weird way, I liked She Hate Me. Maybe because a character had my name!
I’m sorry…Jonathan Lipnicki as a tween white supremacist…that sounds too delicious to pass up, where can i get a copy of this?
Why does Spike’s films HAVE to be controversial? He does controversy well, but he doesn’t HAVE to always be controversial. By the way… SHE HATE ME had interesting moments.
“Jonathan Lipnicki as a tween white supremacist” Really? Is this movie at blockbuster? No, it has to be on ebay. I think it’s worth that much. Next thing you know, Kramer will be playing a black panther member. Oh wait………….
Spike Lee is nauseating! I have always thought that most of his movies are so my little pony. Once in a while he gets it right. I don’t like him period!
The movie with Lipnicki as a white supremacist is called the LA Riot Spectacular. If you like South Park, George Carlin or Howard Stern you will love this movie, it is frickin hilarious.
http://www.lariotmovie.com
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/002-5460002-9124055?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=la+riot+spectacular&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go