2020 might just be the horniest year on record. Ariana Grande has been singing about 69ing, and now Spike Lee is set to direct a new musical film about the origins of Viagra. Yeah, that drug.
According to Deadline, the screenplay for the upcoming project will be co-written by Lee himself alongside British actor, director, and playwright Kwame Kwei-Armah. It’s said to be based on a 2018 Esquire feature cleverly titled “All Rise: The Untold Story of The Guys Who Launched Viagra“, whose summary reads,
“It’s been 20 years since VIAGRA HIT THE MARKET, forever changing men’s sex lives (and their partners’). But before the little blue pill that could became a staple of bedside tables and club-kids’ packets, the drug had to overcome resistance from Wall Street, M.D.’s Capitol Hill, and the Catholic church. Whose job was it to convince some of America’s most powerful institutions that all men deserved boners? Two guys. This is the story of how an unlikely duo popped the top on a $3-billion-a-year industry.”
Music for the film will be handled by Mark “Stew” Stewart and Heidi Rodewald, known for their Tony-winning musical Passing Strange. Lee, our former Director of the Year, is well acquainted with the songwriting duo, as he previously filmed a production of Passing Strange that was later released in 2009.
A title for Spike Lee’s Viagra movie — those are words I never thought I’d type — hasn’t been unzipped just yet, but it’s sure to be a real banger given the subject matter. In this case, go ahead and get excited.
Speaking of the theater, Lee filmed a production of David Byrne’s American Utopia, and it just premiered on HBO last month. Lee’s own Da Five Bloods came out earlier this year on Netflix and remains one of our favorite films of 2020 so far.
Editor’s Note: Stay safe by picking up one of our custom face masks. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares’ COVID-19 Artist Relief fund supporting independent musicians.
