Amazon Studios acquiring Spike Lee film as its first release

Amazon Studios head, Roy Price, and his movie production chief say the movie will first play in theaters before being made available for Amazon Prime customers.

The musical comedy is set in Englewood, a neighborhood on the south side of Chicago. Parris plays the main character, who decides to protest black-on-black gun violence by abstaining from sex. Lee’s film is reportedly based on the Greek comedy, Lysistrata.

Amazon Studios’ Ted Hope said, “It would be impossible to find a better filmmaker” than Lee to launch the studio with. Please don’t be fooled by the title of Chi-Raq, this new Spike Lee joint will be something very special. “We have assembled a stellar cast”, said Spike Lee.

Other celebrities that will have roles in the film include Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and others.

The film has been somewhat controversial because of its title equating the unrelenting violence in Iraq with the fatal shootings that have plagued parts of Chicago, one of America’s biggest cities. In a competitive move, Netflix will premiere Beasts of No Nation, written and directed by Cary Fukunaga and starring Idris Elba online the same day the film debuts in theaters.

Amazon also will produce a Kevin Spacey film titled “Elvis & Nixon”.

Amazon Studios has announced that Spike Lee’s next major film (working title, Chi-Raq) is the first-ever Amazon Original Movie produced.