You would think that Spike Lee wouldn’t have much trouble finding a studio to finance and distribute his films. After decades of films that have been nominated for all sorts of awards and coming off his first Oscar win, it would stand to reason that a filmmaker would have a line of studios hoping to work with him. But apparently, it was still really difficult for Lee to find someone to help him bring “Da 5 Bloods” to life.
Speaking to THR, the filmmaker, whose newest feature arrives on Netflix this Friday, explained that “Da 5 Bloods” was almost bound for the list of almost-made features for Lee.
READ MORE: ‘Da 5 Bloods’: Spike Lee Finally Makes A Worthy, If Bloated, War Epic [Review]
“We barely got this film made,” Lee explained. “We had gone to every studio, and they all turned it down. I’ve had many, many projects turned down, and in my history, they don’t say they hate it, they just say, ‘No, it’s just not for us.’ I’m in this game a long time. So when someone doesn’t want to do it, I’m not going to say, ‘But why? Why don’t you want to make this film?’ I just say, ‘Thank you.’ And keep stepping. Like Jay-Z. On to the next one. And that is why I’ve been able to amass a body of work. I’m not going to sit around and cry. Keep it moving.”
He added, “There was nowhere to go after Netflix.”
Of course, with Netflix becoming more welcoming for acclaimed filmmakers hoping to release Oscar-worthy work, fresh off the studio’s success with “Roma,” “Marriage Story,” and “The Irishman,” Lee was probably expecting a bit more fanfare for his new film. Unfortunately, there was no flashy festival premiere and no exclusive theatrical engagement. Instead, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing Netflix to just release “Da 5 Bloods” alongside every other new bit of content this Friday.
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“Look, I’m not complaining,” the filmmaker said. “On June 12, a new Spike Lee Joint will be streamed all across the world. And people are looking for content, going through that third month. So hopefully, God willing, lots of people will check it out.”
As for the possibility of a theatrical release when cinemas reopen? Lee is hopeful, but he’s not overly concerned.
“I hope so, but me personally, I hope only when it’s safe. There are theaters open now, but I would not go see a movie now. But I do hope that somewhere down the line, people could see this film on a big screen because going into it, the whole thing was, ‘We have to make this film on an epic scale.’ And I don’t care how big your widescreen is at home. It’s not bigger than a movie theater. Unless you got a big-ass house.”
No one tell Spike Lee that a lot of people won’t even watch “Da 5 Bloods” on a TV, instead opting for a laptop, tablet, or *shudders* a phone. “Da 5 Bloods” will be on Netflix beginning Friday, June 12.