The WirealumsClarke PetersandIsiah Whitlock Jr.have joined the cast ofSpike Lee’s next filmDa 5 Bloodsalong withNorm Lewis,Mélanie ThierryandJasper Pääkkönen, Collider has learned.
Netflix is backing the film, which will also starDelroy Lindo,Chadwick Boseman,Jonathan Majors,Jean Reno, andPaul Walter Hauser, who like Whitlock and Pääkkönen, just worked with Lee onBlacKkKlansman.
Da 5 Bloodsfollows a four African-American veterans who return to Vietnam to searchfor the remains of their fallen squad leader (Boseman) and the promise of buried treasure. Our heroes battle forces of man and nature as they’re confronted by the lasting ravages of the immorality of the Vietnam War.
Peters, Whitlock and Lewis (who’s 10 years younger than his co-stars) are expected to play three of the four leads alongside Lindo, which is interesting because I’d heard that Lee was courting some higher-profile names, though I love this configuration of the cast as it currently stands. Someone like, say,Samuel L. Jacksonmight have thrown off the balance of the quartet with his star power. And I know I previously reported Boseman would play the son of one of the leads, but that role appears to have gone to Majors, while Boseman will be appear in war-torn flashbacks.
Lee and hisBlacKkKlansmancollaboratorKevin Willmottworked on the script together many, many years ago, based on an original screenplay byDanny BilsonandPaul DeMeo.Matthew Billingslyalso had a hand in the script. Lee is producing the film withJon Kilik(The Hunger Gamesfranchise),Beatriz LevinandLloyd Levin(Hellboy).Newton Thomas Sigel, who shotBohemian RhapsodyandDrive, will serve as the cinematographer.
Da 5 Bloodsmarks Netflix’s fourth collaboration with Lee, who previously wrote and directedShe’s Gotta Have It, which is currently in post-production on its second season. Lee also directedRoger Guenveur Smith’s one man showRodney Kingfor Netflix, for which he also produced the time-travel movieSee You Yesterday.
Peters is best known for playing Detective Lester Freamon onThe Wireand Albert “Big Chief” Lambreaux on HBO’sTreme. Peters also had a supporting roles inThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouriand the OWN seriesLove Is_, and he recently finished a run ofThe American Clockat The Old Vic. He’s represented by Vanguard Management Group and Conway van Gelder Grant.
Whitlock is best known for playing Senator Clay Davis onThe Wire, though he has also enjoyed recurring roles onVeep,Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,The MistandThe Good Cop. He recently co-starred alongsideCasey AffleckinThe Old Man & the Gun, and he’ll soon be seen in the horror-comedyCorporate Animals, which just debuted at Sundance. Whitlock is repped by CornerStone Talent Agency and Liebman Entertainment.
Lewis is a Broadway legend who has starred inLes MisérablesandThe Phantom of the Opera. The Tony Award-nominated actor also had a recurring role on ABC’sScandaland appeared inSex and the City 2. He’s repped by Paradigm and The Katz Company.
Thierry’s credits includeTerry Gilliam’sThe Zero Theoremand theVin DieselmovieBabylon A.D.She’s repped by Agence Adequat.
Pääkkönen is best known for playing Halfdan the Black on the hit TV seriesVikings, though he also played a memorable scene-stealer inBlacKkKlansman. He’s repped by ICM Partners and Subtitle Talent.
