It’s been over a year since Spike Lee was first mentioned as a possible director for the Spider-Man spin-off film “Nightwatch.” Then in March, it was reported that he signed on to take the directing duties for the superhero film, based on the script from “Luke Cage” showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker. But since then, we haven’t heard a peep about the film, even with the recent success of “Venom.” Well, Spike Lee seems to have given us the reason why we haven’t had any updates about his film — he’s not attached to it.
In a new interview with Screen Rant, the acclaimed director talked about not only “Nightwatch” but also about “Get Out” and “Black Panther,” and the effect those latter two films had on the film industry. However, when he was asked about “Nightwatch” and if he was still attached to the film, Lee provided a short, simple, and definitive answer.
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“Nah,” he said. Well, there you have it.
Obviously, that doesn’t mean that “Nightwatch” is dead at Sony, as the studio is clearly in the market for any and all Spider-Man spin-off films, but if the film is still in development, Lee is not attached. For those not aware of the character, and that’s probably 99% of folks out there as Nightwatch is not a household name, the hero’s secret identity is Dr. Kevin Trench, a scientist that finds a magical superhero costume on the corpse of his future self. It’s weird stuff.
But Lee wasn’t only talking about “Nightwatch.” Screen Rant also asked him about “Get Out” and “Black Panther.” The filmmaker was asked how the recent successes of those films have changed the landscape for Black filmmakers and stars.
“I’m happy for the success of ‘Get Out.’ But, this film didn’t cost that much so… For me, the film that changed the game is ‘Black Panther’… When you’re a black director and trying to get a film made with a studio, the way it always went the okie doke was when the line item came to foreign. Historically, they said, ‘Well we can’t give you that much for the budget because historically black films don’t make any money overseas,’” explained Lee.
He continued, “Then when Denzel [Washington], Will [Smith], and Sam [Jackson], started selling overseas then they move the goal line further and said, ‘Well, there are stars are in it. If you don’t have any stars in the film you’re not going to make any foreign.’ ‘Black Panther’…there were no stars in that film. Prior to the film.”
Ultimately, he said the fact that “Black Panther” was able to become a hit overseas was the real impact of the film, even with its record-setting domestic totals. “Now they move the goal line further. It’s been proven that Black folks can travel, you know? And people go see our films. So that’s the next thing, you know?” concluded the filmmaker.
So, while Lee says he’s not attached to a “Nightwatch” film right now, it seems he understands the superhero genre’s impact on culture. Perhaps there’s still hope out there that fans will see Lee tackle a superhero film in the future.
