Spike Lee is producing the upcoming film Gordon Hemingway & the Realm of Cthulhu for the streaming giant Netflix, with the feature directed by Stefon Bristol.
This film isn’t the first time that Lee has partnered with Netflix. His last movie, Da 5 Bloods, received critical acclaim upon release in June and featured Chadwick Boseman in his final role before his tragic death. The film has been on the receiving end of plentiful awards and accolades, such as the National Board of Review citing it as the best film of 2020.
The new feature film is based on an original screenplay by Hank Woon, and Gordon Hemingway & the Realm of Cthulhu is set in East Africa in 1928. The film focuses on the protagonist Gordon Hemingway. He is described as a “rogueish Black American gunslinger, who teams up with the elite warrior Princess Zenebe of Ethiopia to rescue the country’s kidnapped regent from an ancient evil”.
For the upcoming film, Lee will link up once more with Da 5 Blood producers Lloyd Levin and Beatriz Levin, who initially optioned the screenplay for Gordon Hemingway from Woon. After the Levin’s optioned the script, they then brought it to Bristol and Lee, who jumped at the opportunity to bring it to life.
This project is Bristol’s second film with Netflix, following See You Yesterday, which recorded viewings from 18 million households in the first four weeks of the film being on the streaming platform alone. The film went on to earn Bristol an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. Bristol is also directing the sci-fi thriller Breathe for Thunder Road Film.
