David Lee/HBO

David Lee/HBOThe Spike Lee-directed film version of David Byrne‘s hit Broadway show, David Byrne’s American Utopia, has found a home at HBO.

Warner Media reports that the movie will premiere on the cable network later this year. The news follows a report by Deadline in January that the Oscar winner had signed on to direct the project.

“Spike and I have crossed paths many times over the years, obviously I’m a huge fan and now finally here was an opportunity for us to work together,” Byrne says. “I am absolutely thrilled with the result. The Broadway show was a wonderful challenge as well as an opportunity — it was a joy to perform…Thrilled that this show and the subjects it addresses will now reach a wider audience.”

Adds Lee, “It is my honor and privilege that my art brother, Mr. David Byrne, asked me to join him in concert, to invite me into his magnificent world of American Utopia. And dat’s da ‘once in a lifetime’ truth, Ruth.”

David Byrne’s American Utopia is an adaptation of the concerts that the ex-Talking Heads frontman played on his tour supporting his 2018 album, American Utopia. The show opened in October 2019 at New York’s Hudson Theatre and ran until February 2020.

The American Utopia show features Byrne accompanied by 11 musicians, dancers and singers who move freely about an almost-empty stage. The production includes material from the American Utopia album, other Byrne solo tunes and several Talking Heads songs.

The production is scheduled to begin a new Broadway run at the Hudson Theatre in September, but it’s not known if scheduling will be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Matt Friedlander
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