Jordan Peele and Spike Lee Team Up for Horror Film ‘Black Klansman’
Legendary filmmaker Spike Lee is joining forces with Jordan Peele for forthcoming horror film Black Klansman, the true story of an African American police officer that infiltrated the Ku Klux Klan.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is an adaptation of the 2014 memoir of Ron Stallworth, a detective in Colorado Springs, Colorado, who in 1978 answered an ad in the newspaper seeking new Klan members. Stallworth not only gained membership but also rose through the ranks and became the head of the local chapter. Although Stallworth was African American, during his time as a Klansman – he was able to gather intelligence by pretending to be a white supremacist on the phone or other forms of correspondence but sent a fellow white police officer in his place for any in-person meetings. As a member of the historic hate group, Stallworth was able to sabotage several cross-burnings and other racially charged activates.
Despite the title, the film is not connected to The Black Klansman, a 1966 Blaxploitation revenge thriller that told the story of an African American man who joins the Ku Klux Klan in order to get revenge for the death of his daughter.
John David Washington, son of Denzel Washington and star of HBO’s hit show Ballers, is slated to star in the thriller that is set to begin filming fall 2017. Lee will direct the film while Peele will serve as producer via his banner Monkeypaw Productions. Sean McKittrick (Donnie Darko), Shaun Redick (The Messenger), Raymond Mansfield of QC Entertainment and Jason Blum of Blumhouse Productions will also produce the film, as THR reports.
Peele last helmed the critically acclaimed film, Get Out, which grossed over $200 million – which originally had a $5 million dollar budget. Lee, who created various cult classics Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X, and School Daze, recently helmed 2015’s Chi-raq and is currently working on a Netflix series based on his debut film She’s Gotta Have It.
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