No, this is not a joke nor a type, Academy Award winner Spike Lee is getting into the Viagra business. Spike Lee and Studio Entertainment One are developing an untitled musical film based on Viagra. Lee is set to direct the feature from a screenplay he’s written alongside Kwame Kwei Armah.
The original songs for the film will be written by the songwriting team of Stew Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, who previously created the Tony-winning musical Passing Strange and will be based on the David Kushner Esquire article All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra.
Deadline reported that the musical will is inspired by true events surrounding Pfizer’s discovery and launch of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra (Sildenafil). Lee commented on the news stating,
First And Foremost, I Thank Ms. Jacquelyn Shelton Lee. I Thank My Late Mother For As She Would Say Taking “My Narrow,Rusty Behind” Dragging, Kickin’ And Screamin’ To The Movies When I Wuz A Nappy Headed Kid Growing Up In Da Streets Of Da People’s Republic Of Brooklyn. I Did Not Want To See Corny People Singin’ And Dancin’. I Instead Wanted To Play With My Friends On Da Block, Stoop Ball, Stick Ball, Punch Ball, Soft Ball, Basketball, 2 Hand Touch, Tackle Football, Coco Leevio, Johnny On Da Pony, Hot Peas And Butter, Crack Top, Down Da Sewer And Of Course-Booty’s Up. All The Great New York City Street Games That Might Be Sadly Lost Forever. My Father, Bill Lee, Jazz/Folk Bassist,Composer HATED HollyWeird Movies, Henceforth And What Not, Me Being The Eldest Of 5 Children I Became Mommy’s Movie Date. She Was A Cinefile. Thank You Lawdy She Didn’t Listen To My Ongoing Complaints About Musicals. So Finally Going Into My 4th Decade As A Filmmaker I Will Be Directing A DANCIN’,ALL SINGIN’ MUSICAL Spike Lee Joint And I Can’t Wait. My Moms Has Been Waiting TOO!!! And Dats Da Rodgers And Hammerstein Truth, Ruth.
The upcoming film will also be Lee’s first joint since completing Da 5 Bloods for Netflix and HBO Max’s David Byrne’s American Utopia
