The film seeks to place a spotlight on the dismal recurrence of gun violence in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood, and stars Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Dave Chappelle, and Common.  As politicians including the city’s Alderman and Mayor have rushed to chime in on their disapproval of the film’s title, there is no doubt that Lee’s choice has struck a chord. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel who has been dogged by many high profile shootings during his tenure, met with Lee in April. Said the Mayor,

We had an honest, frank conversation… He said that while the movie is about the neighborhood of Englewood, I was clear that I was not happy about the title. I told him also that there are very good people that live in Englewood who are raising their family and there’s a lot of positive things that are happening in Englewood mainly driven by the people that make up Englewood.

Alderman William Burns had more criticism for the name stating,

These are communities where people are doing the right thing, people trying to have a decent neighborhood. Having a movie called ‘Chi-raq’ will make it much more difficult for folks like me and other aldermen to bring economic development to those neighborhoods. Who wants to live in a place that people call Chi-raq?

The Alderman went so far as to suggest that Lee should not receive a $3 million tax break for filming there.

“Part of the deal with the tax credit is that the film production company has to prove that the film will have a positive economic impact on the state of Illinois…And I think by calling a whole part of the city of Chicago ‘Chi-raq,’ that will make it hard to bring economic development to those communities, to bring jobs to those communities, and will therefore have a negative economic impact on the state of Illinois. And for that reason, they should deny it.”

An unbothered Lee responded with the brutal facts via Instagram.

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With all of the fervor around the name, one of the most interesting parts of the movie still speaks of Lee’s genius and creativity. The film is reportedly a musical comedy based upon Aristophanes’ comedy, Lysistrata.  “Lysistrata” persuades the women of Greece to withhold sexual privileges from their husbands and lovers as a means of forcing the men to negotiate peace ending the war.  The power of…unity… indeed! It’s exciting to wonder how Lee will weave this classic comedy into the modern day ails of a staggeringly violent city, nicknamed Chi-raq.

The post Politicians Attack Spike Lee Over Upcoming Film, Chi-raq appeared first on Broadway Black.

UPDATE: Trailer for this film has now been released and a limited release date of Dec 4th has been set. The cast includes some dynamic Broadway Black actors including Samuel L. Jackson & Angela Bassett, who were both on Broadway in Katori Hall‘s The Mountaintop. The trailer showcases Teyonah Paris , who stars as Lysistrata and you’ll also see Jennifer Hudson for a quick second, who is making her Broadway debut in The Color Purple. Watch the trailer below.

While Broadway Black previously reported that a Spike Lee sequel to School Daze appears to have been shelved, Lee has not been resting on his laurels. Leading producer, financier and international sales agency IM Global will soon be taking Chiraq, Lee’s next project, to the Cannes market to shop it to international buyers. Chiraq is a retelling of Aristophanes’ ancient Greek comedy Lysistra, in which women band together to end the Peloponnesian War by refusing to have sex with their husbands until the fighting is over. In Lee’s vision, women similarly withhold sex in an attempt to end gang violence in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. One can definitely see the potential for a dramedy musical based on a battle of the sexes, not unlike Lee’s previous success with School Daze. Jennifer Hudson has signed on and Common, Jeremy Piven and John Cusack are reportedly in talks for significant roles in the film. Kanye West is in negotiations to be involved with the film’s soundtrack.

Although Chiraq has not begun filming (at the time this article was written), it has already amassed its share of critics. Chicago’s mayor Rahm Emanuel and some Chicagoans take umbrage with the film’s polarizing title, which equates Chicago’s streets to the unrest in Iraq. “Chi-Raq” is also the title of a Nicki Minaj track where she raps, “King pins and them drug lords, Chi-town, no gun laws.” Chiraq will be released through Amazon Studios in the U.S., with tentative plans for a theatrical rollout in 2016.

The post Spike Lee’s New Film ‘Chiraq’ Retells Greek Comedy Lysistrata appeared first on Broadway Black.