Quantcast

The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
Read the press release here.

Spike Lee's New Film To Feature 'A Lot of Beautiful, Naked Bodies'

By Janet Upadhye | July 24, 2013 2:45pm
 Spike Lee talks about his first crowdfunded film at 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks headquarters in Fort Greene.
Spike Lee at 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
View Full Caption

FORT GREENE — Hollywood won't be funding this "sexy blood-sucking" film.

Spike Lee has taken to Kickstarter to raise funds for his latest flick and he is giving few details about the plot of his new thriller. But he guarantees there will be nudity.

"The film will have a lot of beautiful, naked bodies," Lee said in a Wednesday morning sitdown with DNAinfo New York. "There’s nothing wrong with that, right?"

Lee wrote the script a while back — "It hasn't collected any dust," he said — and took it off the shelf when he decided to try his hand at crowdfunding because it was the only script that was low-budget enough to work.

Encouraged by his NYU film students, the acclaimed director is asking his supporters to foot the bill at $1.25 million. Three days into his campaign he has already raised nearly $140,000.

Lee thinks fundraising from the public is ideal for this film because it will allow him artistic freedom.

"When you're a hired gun you know what the deal is. They tell me what to put in it and what composers to use, etc." he told DNAinfo. "I want to put my vision on screen and I believe that there is a community out there that has supported me that will support me to get this film made."

Lee wants "The Way It Is" composer Bruce Hornsby, who also created works for Lee's recent film "Red Hook Summer," to do the music for his new movie.

Shooting will take place mostly in Brooklyn and he hopes the "intimate cast" will feature new talent. Lee was responsible for actors Larry Fishburne, Samuel L. Jackson, Giancarlo Esposito, Rosie Perez and Halle Berry's big breaks. He is also hoping that more up-and-coming filmmakers will follow his lead and use Kickstarter to fund their films.

Filming is planned to start later this year with a possible release date of June 30, 2014 — the 20th anniversary of fan-favorite "Do The Right Thing."

Lee would give no more details about his film saying "movie-goers are spoiled with trailers," but he did reveal that the plot is not based on anyone he has known in real life.

"I haven’t met any human bloodsuckers and I hope I don’t," he said. "Especially not in Fort Greene Park."