The “newest, hottest Spike Lee joint” has landed a generous A-list investor.
After filmmaking legend Spike Lee turned to Kickstarter to drum up $1.25 million for a new movie, fellow director Steven Soderbergh has opened up his wallet.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the “Magic Mike” and “Behind the Candelabra” helmer handed over $10,000 to Lee’s project, in exchange for a princely prize of dinner with Lee and a courtside seat next to him at a future New York Knicks game.
But Soderbergh didn’t do it just for the swag. “Steven has a long history of supporting fellow filmmakers, sometimes with even less incentive than courtside seats to the Knicks,” the director’s manager said.
And as it turns out, Soderbergh is one of three backers who couldn’t pass up the chance to both hang out with Lee and support his upcoming film — according to NextMovie.com, two others have parted ways with $10k in the name of cinema.
Lee said on his Kickstarter page that he’s joined the ranks of other stars like Zach Braff and “Veronica Mars” creator rob Thomas because the studio system isn’t friendly toward independent filmmakers.
Although Lee’s project, from the brief description, sounds like something that a studio might leap for – “human beings who are addicted to blood,” he says of the “funny, sexy and bloody” concept — “it’s a different climate now.”
“I’m not hating, just stating the facts. Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang,” he wrote. “To me it’s not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made. To The Studios it seems like every Film must be a Home run on a Global scale, a Tent Pole Enterprise, able to spin off Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel after Sequel. I have a different vision of what Cinema can be, a different vision of what some under-served Audiences might want to see.”
