Spike Lee Coming to Netflix
Friday, September 16, 2016 at 10:19PM It was recently announced that Netflix has ordered ten episodes of a TV series adaptation of Spike Lee’s 1986 debut feature film She’s Gotta Have It. Lee will direct all ten episodes. The age of prestige television truly allows for more fluid movement (at least behind the camera) from film to TV and back again. Spike Lee’s last few features (despite good notices for Chi-raq) have had trouble catching fire outside of the arthouse the way his earlier work has, for this reason or that. He’s certainly a polarizing figure and resistance to his work is built in to certain audiences.
Tracy Camilla Johns and Spike Lee in SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT (1986)
Have you seen She’s Gotta Have It? It’s a very fascinating piece, both on its own and in the larger context of Lee’s filmography. There’s a beautifully bare-bones energy to it that one would expect from a debut, but it still retains Lee’s voice, vigor and artistry. It’s also has a refreshing focus on female characters in a way that even ardent fans of Lee’s work can’t argue is missing from much of his filmography.
Lee’s previous notable foray into television gave us the beautiful and vital “When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts,” his in-depth and personal HBO documentary about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath (if you haven’t seen it, get thee to HBO on demand as soon as possible). Spike Lee adapting his voice for television is definitely something that could yield interesting results.
“She’s Gotta Have It” is expected to premiere on Netflix next year. Will you be watching?
Reader Comments (4)
I love She's Gotta Have It. But Lee developed a negative rep with women behind his depiction of the female protagonist Nola Darling. His mishandling of the gay content was also bothersome. And the rape in the film which he now regrets was intended to be a cautionary thing for women who behave sexually like men.
Not sure how well this story will translate now with the culture shifting to a more sex positive attitude. There is nothing shocking about a contemporary woman with multiple sex partners.
Maybe this is Lee's effort to tell the story without all of the parts of the film that he now has issues with. I love the film, though.
Exciting news!
Spike Lee on Netflix? Of course I'm watching.