Amazon Studios is producing its first full-length movie, Spike Lee’s Chi-raq, the company announced today. The film will be released in theaters before coming to the Prime Instant Video service in order to qualify it for the Oscars and other awards.
Chi-raq is a retelling of the Greek comedy Lysistrata, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It’s set on the streets of Chicago’s south side and follows a woman as she goes on a sex strike to protest black-on-black violence.
The cast is a big one, with stars including Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett, John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson.
“Spike Lee is one of the most distinct and visionary filmmakers of our time,” said Ted Hope, head of Amazon’s movie division and a veteran of the independent movie scene. “It would be impossible to find a better filmmaker with whom to launch our studio. He has a unique voice, a distinct eye, and he tackles important subjects with humor and heart, pointing to solutions and not exploiting the problems.”
Amazon Studios announced its Amazon Original Movies division in January, but this will be the company’s first film. According to a press release at the time, Amazon Original Movies will debut in theaters four to eight weeks before they hit Amazon Instant Video.
The film finished filming last week, but Amazon’s role was kept under wraps until today. Amazon plans to produce 12 films each year, but no other titles have been announced. Chi-raq will likely debut in December.
