Chiraq (film)
6 /10 1 Votes
Genre Comedy, Drama, Musical Language English Production companies Amazon Studios Language English | Director Spike Lee Initial release 2016 (USA) Casting director Kim Coleman Country United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer Spike Lee, Kevin Willmott Cast Nick Cannon (Chi-Raq), Samuel L. Jackson (Dolmedes), John Cusack (Fr. Mike Corridan), Jennifer Hudson (Irene), Teyonah Parris (Lysistrata), Anya Engel-Adams (Rasheeda)Similar movies The Package , InSpectres , Grand Piano , Ferris Bueller's Day Off , Time Travelers , The Day of the Dead | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chi-raq (also Chiraq) is an upcoming feature film written and directed by Spike Lee. Set in Chicago, the film is described as a satire and to have as a subject black-on-black murder prevalent in some neighborhoods on the citys south side, particularly, Englewood. The film will be produced and distributed by Amazon Studios. Chiraq began filming in May 2015 and will continue production through July. The project will be hiring many local actors and had an open casting call scheduled for May 9, 2015. Rapper Kanye West was originally supposed to star in the film but dropped out, possibly due to scheduling conflicts, though he will probably be involved in the making of its soundtrack album. It was reported that the film will also be a musical comedy based on Lysistrata, a Greek comedy by Aristophanes.
Contents
A modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, set against the backdrop of gang violence in Chicago.
Similar Movies
The Wicker Man (1973). The Wrath of the Gods (1914). Oceans Eleven (2001). The Karate Kid (1984). Samuel L Jackson appears in Chiraq and Do the Right Thing.
Title
The films title Chiraq, although not final, has caused some controversy. Members of the City council and city residents have requested that Lee change the name of the film, going as far as to threaten the tax credits that the film maker will receive from the city. "Chiraq" is a common endonym of residents of Chicagos South Side, used to describe the area as a war zone due to its high crime rates. While there is no official word about any name change yet, the Alderman William Burns and Mayor Rahm Emanuel believe that the city should have some say in the title following Lees request for a $3 million tax credit from the city. The word is a portmanteau of "Chicago" and "Iraq".
References
Chiraq (film) WikipediaChiraq (film) IMDb Chiraq (film) themoviedb.org