Spike Lee is still riding high off the awards success, and potential future success, of BlackKklansman, but the director isn't just sitting around and waiting for statues to come in. He's already in the early stages of his next project, a film for Netflix called Da 5 Bloods, and the project just added Chadwick Boseman to the cast.
The film is set to follow a group of Vietnam veterans who return to the nation in search of the innocence they feel they lost while there. Delroy Lindo and Jean Reno are reportedly also in talks to join the cast. Based on the title, one assumes at least two more major cast members will be added.
Those additional cast members will likely join very soon as Da 5 Bloods could go into production as early as next month according to Variety. Spike Lee will also write the movie with his frequent collaborator Kevin Willmott. The original screenplay was penned by Danny Bilson & Paul DeMeo and it also saw a rewrite from Matthew Billingsly before making into the hands of Lee.
This is another big win for Netflix, that could turn out to be even bigger if BlackKlansman ends up taking home any Oscars in a couple of weeks. The streaming service has been doing an amazing job and luring major talent to produce films and television. Spike Lee previously produced the Netflix series version of his movie The Girl Can't Help It, but this will be his first time directing something for Netflix.
Netflix itself has the potential to have an impressive Oscars telecast. The streaming service will be competing against Spike Lee with Alfonso Cuaron's Roma. Either movie has the potential to do well at the Academy Awards and Netflix will get to boast either way.
Between critical successes like Roma and popular successes like Bird Box, Netflix has found a place alongside the major studios. While the film's might not be seen on the big screen, the reach that Netflix has thanks to its massive subscriber base means that its films are as much a part of the cultural conversation as any blockbuster.
Of course, we also can't forget that Chadwick Boseman also starred in yet another of this year's Best Picture nominees. Black Panther became the first superhero movie to be nominated for the top prize and while it's likely viewed as a long shot, it wasn't nominated in any of the other major categories the way BlackKklansman and Roma were, it's still in the mix and could potentially play spoiler.
This year Chadwick Boseman will be seen in Avengers: Endgame as well as the police drama 17 Bridges.
If Da 5 Bloods really is going into production very soon, then we could see it on Netflix as early as the end of this year or early 2020.
