Adapting a movie – or spinning it off – for the small screen isn’t new, but the trend has taken off in the past year with the one-two punch of NBC’s suprise hit “Hannibal” and FX’s take on “Fargo.” Critical darling “Friday Night Lights” aside, none of the TV versions have retained the creative talent behind the source material – the Coen Brothers gave their blessing to the FX series and received executive producer credits as tribute – but that’s about to change as Spike Lee sets out to make his second stab at a fictional series, following the failed pilot “Da Brick” over at HBO.
Deadline reports the “Malcolm X” filmmaker will adapt his 1985 debut feature “She’s Gotta Have It” for Showtime. The half-hour series is said to take “a new contemporary look at the characters [of the original film] and will explore Lee’s unique and provocative points of view about race, gender, sexuality, relationships, and the gentrification in Brooklyn.” Lee’s set to write and direct the series.
In other Lee TV news, The Wrap reports that the “Inside Man” director will be making a return to both his frequent small-screen collaborator HBO and the world of stand-up comedy after previously helming 2000’s “The Original Kings of Comedy.” According to the site, Lee will helm a standup comedy special for HBO starring rising comedy star Jerrod Carmichale with comedy site Funny or Die producing the show. Seeing as Lee’s “Oldboy” remake/reimaginging was a colossal misfire, we’re glad to see Lee changing things up and returning to the medium that has given us some his best work in years (like his pair of Hurrican Katrina docs). The comedy special will be taped on May 7th with no airdate yet set by the iconic cable network.