Spike Lee Shares his Unproduced Script for Jackie Robinson Biopic
Yesterday we got a surprise gift from writer/director/actor John Krasinski revealed Some Good News, his DIY news program he revealed on YouTube that he and his family filmed from their homes. True to its title, Some Good News showed us video from all over the world, from Italy to the United States and points in between, which featured much deserved praise for healthcare workers battling the spread of coronavirus. Some Good News also featured two interviews; one with Krasinski’s former co-star at The Office, Steve Carell. The second interview was with a young girl named Coco, who had just completed chemotherapy. Some Good News was both joyous and lovely.
Writer/director Spike Lee has now also given something to all of us practicing social distancing at home, a different kind of gift but one near and dear to his heart—the unproduced script for his long-gestating Jackie Robinson biopic. Your first thought might be the same as ours; why hasn’t this script been turned into a film!? Yes, we did have writer/director Brian Helgeland’s 42, starring Chadwick Boseman as Robinson, the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era. Yet there’s plenty of room to get Spike Lee‘s take on Robinson’s historic, iconic life. Alas, we’ll have to settle for the script.
Regardless of why it was never produced, Lee shared the script in an Instagram post, which he began, “Afternoon From Da Corona Epicenter Of The USA-NYC.” The screenplay has remained with Lee and his production company for years, and now, considering we’re all searching for things to watch and read as we stay at home, there couldn’t be a better time to get a look at the Oscar-winning Lee’s take on a true American hero.
Check out Lee’s Instagram post, and read the script here:
Featured image: Director Spike Lee and actor John David Washington on the set of BlacKkKlansman, a Focus Features release. Credit: David Lee / Focus Features
Here’s more of our coverage on how COVID-19 is affecting the entertainment industry, and how the entertainment industry is trying to do their part to help:
John Krasinski Creates Some Good News & Interviews Steve Carell
The Walking Dead & Better Call Saul Director Bronwen Hughes Talks Drama, Real & Imagined
Costume Designers Guild to Sew Masks for Hospitals
The below-the-line talent who will be hit the hardest.
Read Christopher Nolan’s Passionate Piece on the Importance of Movie Theaters
How cinematographer Kira Kelly shot Netflix’s Self Made and is responding to her sudden furlough.
Amy Adams & Jennifer Garner Team Up to Help Kids Affected by COVID-19
