Spike Lee To Direct New Film Based On “Romeo & Juliet” Story “Prince of Cats”

Legendary Entertainment has announced that Spike Lee is set to direct the adaptation of Ron Wimberly’s graphic novel “Prince of Cats,” a hip-hop take on Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” Lee will also rewrite the script and work with Wimberly and the screenwriter Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, who is a former editor of hip hop magazine The Source.

“Prince of Cats” is set in the 1980s in “Da People’s Republic of Brooklyn, and revolves around the hip hop culture. The story follows Juliet’s cousin Tybalt and his brothers, who are a part of the Capulet gang, who are fighting it out with the rival group the Montagues. The film is set to feature different areas of hip hop culture, including Djing, emceeing, breakdancing, and graffiti.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hinds wrote the initial script for the adaptation of the graphic novel that originated from Vertigo and was then reissued by Image Comics. Janet and Kate Zucker of Zucker Productions will produce “Prince of Cats,” with Legendary’s Jon Silk and Ali Mendes overseeing for the company.

In addition to this new project, Lee is also in postproduction for his upcoming film Da5Bloods, a thriller that stars Chadwick Boseman, Paul Walter Hauser and Jonathan Majors.