Spike Lee Archives - Rolling Out

Atlanta police have arrested a man in connection with the murder of actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Byrd, 70, was reportedly found dead on Oct. 3 shortly after midnight. Atlanta police discovered Byrd with multiple gunshots in the back. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Following up on tips, Atlanta…

Spike Lee paid homage to actor Thomas Jefferson Byrd. On Oct. 4, Lee shared with his followers that Byrd had died in Atlanta. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Byrd, 70, was reportedly found dead on Oct. 3 shortly after midnight. Atlanta police discovered Byrd with multiple gunshots in the back. He was pronounced dead at…

Spike Lee had no idea Chadwick Boseman was sick when they were filming Da 5 Bloods. The 43-year-old actor died on Friday, Aug. 28, 2020, after secretly battling colon cancer for the past four years and director Lee, 63, admitted he did not know about Boseman’s illness when they were working on the physically demanding…

Great art will always stand the test of time. In the summer of 1989, Public Enemy released the most poignant protest song in hip-hop history in “Fight the Power” for Spike Lee‘s gut-wrenching film, Do the Right Thing. Thirty-one years later, the song speaks to a new generation of activists inspired by the killings of…

According to Spike Lee, no country has “handled racism or slavery better than the US.” The 63-year-old filmmaker admits American society still witnesses “blatant acts of racism,” but he’s not sure if any other country is doing a better job of tackling discrimination. Spike said: “What other countries have handled racism or slavery better than…

Spike Lee is horrified by the high death rate in America during the global health crisis, which this week climbed above 100,000 lives lost. The 63-year-old director is taking no chances at his office in Brooklyn, New York, explaining to The Times: “Everybody’s taken a test here. We all wear masks. It’s three floors, 10,000 square…

Award-winning director Spike Lee is excited about his new film, “Da 5 Bloods.” The film stars Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Norm Lewis, and Isiah Whitlock Jr. as four Black veterans from the Vietnam War who return to the nation to search for buried gold and the remains of their fallen squad leader, Chadwick Boseman. The…

Spike Lee has slammed the plan to lift the lockdown and reopen movie theaters in the state of Georgia. The award-winning director insisted he isn’t going to risk his own health by venturing outside amid the pandemic, and he’s also called for an increase in testing for the virus. He told Vanity Fair in an…

Spike Lee took a moment to go after Bill Cosby. Over the past weekend, Lee’s 1988 film School Daze began trending on social media after it premiered on Netflix. The movie became a trending topic after its premiere. Lee took a moment to share a few little-known facts about the film on his Twitter page.…

Spike Lee has shared a script for his unmade Jackie Robinson film. The 63-year-old director gifted his fans the screenplay in a video he posted from his home to keep them entertained during the coronavirus lockdown. Lee described the unmade movie — which was planned for release in the mid-1990s, as a “dream project” —…

Spike Lee has responded following the decision to postpone the Cannes Film Festival amid COVID-19. The 63-year-old director made history earlier this year after it was revealed he would be the first Black president of the festival’s jury, but he agrees with festival director Thierry Fremaux’s decision to put the event back. He told Variety:…

Toneka Wright is the owner and founder of the Black Filmmakers Academy, an online educational resource dedicated to helping Black creatives learn various aspects of the film industry. The Black Filmmakers Academy is run by experienced independent filmmakers eager to share their wealth of knowledge about the industry. They offer instruction in making, distributing and…

For 28 years, Spike Lee claims that he has entered the same door at Madison Square Garden to watch his beloved New York Knicks play basketball, and until this week, it was never a problem. Lee, a Morehouse graduate and recent Academy Award-winning filmmaker, was confronted upon entering the Garden Tuesday, March 3, 2020, as…

Oscar-winning auteur Spike Lee joined forces with Cadillac to unveil the 2021 Cadillac Escalade at Red Studios in Hollywood, California, on Feb. 4 with the premiere of “The Anthem,” a short film he directed that was inspired by the Escalade. In “The Anthem,” Lee uses his distinctive signature Double-Dolly technique to heighten the sense of…

Spike Lee wore a custom suit in tribute to Kobe Bryant to the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 9, 2020. The 62-year-old film director — who is a basketball fanatic — donned an eye-catching suit for the annual awards show at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where he was seen sporting the colors of the…

Black History Month is a time when the contributions of Black people are honored and revered. In addition to groundbreaking inventions, Black Americans are pioneers in the areas of film and television. In honor of Black History Month, here are 5 Black-led films that should be on your Black History Month watch list. Malcolm X…

Legendary Do The Right Thing director Spike Lee will serve as jury president at the 2020 Cannes Film Festival in May, making him the first Black filmmaker to ever do so. The Cannes Film Festival, which takes place in the South of France, is on par with the annual Sundance Film Festival in suburban Salt…

In October, Netflix announced plans to add iconic Black films to the platform each month. Last month, the popular streaming service gave us a sense of nostalgia with the classic Black romance film Love Jones featuring Nia Long and Larenz Tate. During the month of December, you can expect to see Spike Lee’s and Denzel…

Kelly Rowland wants to make and star in a biopic about Donna Summer. The former Destiny’s Child singer is a huge fan of the late disco legend and has long wanted to portray her on the big screen. She previously put herself forward to play Summer — who died from lung cancer in May 2012…

Hollywood’s top Black directors made great strides in 2019. From Spike Lee winning an Academy Award for Blackkklansman to Ava DuVernay receiving critical acclaim for her explosive miniseries When They See Us, Black excellence was front and center. With the start of the year 2020 less than two months away, Black film directors continue pushing the culture…