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Spike Lee on Not Pushing For De-Aging Technology for 'Da 5 Bloods': "I Wasn't Getting $100 Million"
The film's leads, all over 50, played themselves in current-day and flashbacks.
The COVID-19 pandemic ensured Spike Lee's newest film Da 5 Bloods won't get the ideal rollout. However, the award-winning director is still excited.
In an interview with the New York Times, he discussed challenges in making the film. Bloods' stars are all over the age of 50. In a film centered around the Vietnam War, the actors play themselves in current-day shots as well as flashback sequences. However, unlike the stars of Netflix's The Irishman, they won't benefit from anti-aging technology, makeup, or digital effects.
Lee didn't mind that decision. In a package of notes about the film, Lee said the choice illustrates the crew's "living memories," and how "current dilemmas and even ailments color recollections of their former selves."
"I was not getting $100 million to de-age our guys," he said. "I think we were able to turn a negative into a positive." Lee previously partnered with Netflix for two seasons of She's Gotta Have It, a series based on Lee's 1986 movie of the same name. The company does not disclose its film's budgets.
The film stars Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., and Norm Lewis. The film centers around the search for the remains of their fellow Vietnam vet, played by Chadwick Boseman.
Da 5 Bloods premieres on Netflix on June 12.