Amazon Studios has set the release strategy for the Spike Lee-directed Chi-raq, which is the company’s first theatrical feature play. Amazon has set a December 4 release date and has brought in Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate to get this going with an exclusive theatrical release that is expected to cover the major cities in the U.S. Roadside and Lionsgate have teamed often on prestige film fare.
Scripted by Lee & Kevin Willmot, Chi-Raq is inspired by Lysistrata, a Greek Comedy by Aristophanes that follows a woman’s efforts to end the Peloponnesian War.
Nick Cannon and Teyonah Parris star as Chi-Raq and Lysistrata, respectively. The film also stars Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Jennifer Hudson, Harry Lennix, and D.B. Sweeney.
The film is set in Chicago’s South Side, and covers the subjects of gang violence and clashes with police, a subject that most certainly has been in the news.
