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Amazon continues its trailblazing path into original content with the upcoming Spike Lee drama, Chi-Raq. Adding on to their resume of original series, including Alpha House, Mozart in the Jungle, and award-winning critical darling Transparent, Amazon is now venturing into the original film realm, kicking things off with one of the industry’s most buzzed about, acclaimed mavericks: Spike Lee.

Based in inner-city Chicago, Chi-Raq (a play on the city’s unfortunate nickname due to its violent history) is written by both Lee and Kevin Willmott and will be similar to the Do The Right Thing director’s previous ventures: analyzing global race and sociopolitical issues through a microcosmic lens and deeply developed characters. Starring Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, and John Cusack, Chi-Raq will “shed light on the serious, but often overlooked issue of violence in inner-city Chicago,” according to Amazon Studios. No date has been set for the film’s release, but this isn’t Lee’s first venture into streaming-only distribution after working with Vimeo on Demand for horror thriller, Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (now available on Netflix). If you’re a fan of Lee, however, Chi-Raq is certainly one to keep on your radar.

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