While Spike Lee started out as a man who had things to say and wasn’t afraid of starting feuds with other directors, in recent years he’s stretched his wings and seemed to soften a little, making documentaries, flirting with thrillers with Inside Man, desiging vodka bottles and goodness knows what else. His last film, Miracle at St. Anna, was a rather expensive flop, but now it looks like he’s heading back to thriller territory for Nagasaki Deadline.
According to Deadline, Lee is busy closing a deal to helm the movie, which ‘focuses on a troubled FBI agent and his desperate race to thwart two terrorist attacks planned to unfold on American soil. The fed goes beyond obvious suspects to focus on theories that the crime is tied to historical events, as he races against the clock.’ Lee is certainly an interesting choice, as in the current climate you’ve got to imagine a man who’s so often dealt with racial issues might have a few things to say about how we’re handling the terrorist situation.
The movie itself actually has a fairly long history. Written by Peter Griffiths, it was being developed by James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment at Fox about a decade ago, but got dropped after the 9/11 attacks. Now Lightstorm has resurrected it, with Alcon financing and Warner Bros distributing. At the moment the movie is due to start shooting early next year, although as Lee films have a tendency to fall to bits over budget issues and execs getting nervous about how he likes to speak his mind, it’s a bit early to says it’s definite.