Spike Lee to direct film version of David Byrne’s American Utopia
Spike Lee is setting his sights on Broadway.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker has officially signed on to direct a movie version of David Byrne’s American Utopia. It was announced on Friday that Byrne, Lee, Jeff Skoll, David Linde, and Diane Weyermann will executive produce the film. Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson, and Patrick Catullo, who lead produced the Broadway production, will also serve as executive producers.
“Pinch me. This couldn’t have worked out better for this project,” David Byrne said in a statement. “Spike Lee directing and Participant producing — two socially engaged teams, well, three if you count us in the band, coming together in what I feel will be something moving, important, and unlike anything anyone has seen before.”
The Broadway show features Talking Heads musician Byrne with 11 musical artists from around the world performing songs from Byrne’s 2018 album of the same name, along with songs from Talking Heads and his solo career for a major cultural milestone in the worlds of music and theater. David Byrne’s American Utopia has been playing at the Hudson Theater since it opened October 2019. It will run through February 16, with the film planned for a 2020 release.
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