If you want to make a film, titled “Prince of Cats,” that is an ‘80s hip-hop-infused reimagining of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet,” but set in Brooklyn, it’s pretty clear that you need Spike Lee to helm it. Well, thankfully, that’s exactly what is going to happen.
According to THR, Spike Lee has agreed to direct and co-write the upcoming film “Prince of Cats” for Legendary. The film is based on the comic book series of the same name from writer-artist Ron Wimberly. Lee will work with Wimberly and the original writer of the script, Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, on a new draft of the film.
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“Prince of Cats” follows the same basic star-crossed lovers story of “Romeo & Juliet” but with a decidedly old school hip-hop spin. The warring families, the Montagues and Capulets, respectively, who are rivals in underground sword duels in Da People’s Republic of Brooklyn. The world also includes plenty of hip-hop staples, such as DJing, emceeing, breakdancing, and graffiti.
Lee is currently wrapping up work on his upcoming film “Da 5 Bloods,” which stars Chadwick Boseman. It’s presumed that he will work on “Prince of Cats” soon thereafter. The iconic filmmaker recently won his first-ever Oscar for his screenplay for the film “BlacKkKlansman.” And since then, he’s had no shortage of interest from studios hoping to develop his next feature.
Hinds is a writer that is transitioning his career from his former life as the editor-in-chief of hip-hop outlet The Source. Previous to his work on “Prince of Cats,” he wrote an episode of Jordan Peele’s recent “Twilight Zone” reboot.
Obviously, there’s no word on when “Prince of Cats” might be coming to theaters, but you better believe we’ll be keeping you posted.