Spike Lee: ‘Me and Tyler Perry are cool’

theGRIO VIDEO - Spike Lee talks about why he turned to Kickstarter and finance his new film, and revealed the he is 'cool' with Tyler Perry....

This week, Oscar nominated director Spike Lee launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund his next big screen production.

The Inside Man director, who is following in the footsteps of the creators of Veronica Mars and Zack Braff, is seeking to raise $1.25 million over the next month.

“I needed to go to Kickstarter to get this film made because this is not necessarily a Hollywood film, Lee told theGrio. “It’s more like an independent film.”

Lee has given out little detail about the plot of his upcoming film, but on Kickstarter describes the movie as “the newest hottest Spike Lee Joint.”

“It’s the type of a film that for it best to work, you gotta go in knowing the least amount of information about it as possible,” Lee said. “What I will say is that we’re calling it psychological bloody thriller, with naked black people… butt naked. Now who’s made a film like that? My man Tyler made a film like that… and I say that in all love, because me and Tyler are cool.”

Click here to watch Spike Lee talk about a Travon Martin film

Throughout his film career, spanning more than three decades, Lee has undeniably been a trailblazer creating a unique genre of storytelling all his own.

However, the 56-year-old Brooklyn native doesn’t envision his contemporaries in the industry, like Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg or Clint Eastwood, following in his footsteps and turning to Kickstarter to fund their future films.

“Anybody could do this, but Steven Spielberg,” Lee said while laughing. “Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Scorsese, they don’t have to do that.” Why? “Because they don’t have to do it,” he said “They’re great filmmakers and they’re beloved by the studios.”

Lee’s next film, which is scheduled to hit theaters in October, will be his remake of the Korean thriller Oldboy.

Follow Chris Witherspoon on Twitter at @WitherspoonC

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