Spike Lee thinks Prince and Michael Jackson biopics would be impossible to cast
With Bohemian Rhapsody now the highest grossing music biopic ever, it’s only a matter of time before Hollywood starts rolling out more stories from music history. Next year alone will see the release of Rocketman, which will similarly paint a portrait of Sir Elton John.
Two artists that may prove difficult to adapt, however, are Prince and Michael Jackson, at least according to Spike Lee. In a new interview with Consequence of Sound, the veteran filmmaker offered his two cents on the idea of adapting the two legends’ lives.
“Not that I’ve been asked to do it,” he says, “But for me, I just can’t get past who’s gonna play Prince? Michael Jackson? I can’t. All I can do is documentaries. But a film? I just can’t get past who. Not to say, I mean, it could be an unknown…”
Lee has already delivered two documentaries surrounding the King of Pop and he’s open to do more. “One day, you know, maybe, hopefully I’ll get to do a complete trilogy,” he says. “You know, the first one’s Bad 25, and then Off the Wall, maybe I’ll get to do Thriller.”
As for The Purple One, Lee may need to wait awhile. After all, as we reported back in October, both director Ava DuVernay and Apple are currently at work on two separate documentaries that tell various parts of the late legend’s life.
“I will tell you this, though,” he admits. “I don’t care what the critics say, fuck ’em—I love Bohemian Rhapsody. Rami Malek did his thing. I mean, I like that film a lot.”
Currently, Lee is out promoting this year’s BlacKkKlansman, which recently picked up nominations at both the Golden Globes and SAG Awards with the Academy Awards in its sights. Read our full interview in which he talks extensively about the film.
