Broadway's 'American Utopia' will be filmed; Theatrical release & DVD expected

Broadway's 'American Utopia' will be filmed; Theatrical release & DVD expected

The producers of Broadway's "American Utopia" announced today that Oscar winner Spike Lee is expected to film the theatrical concert event for future worldwide release. The Broadway production, which opened in October at the Hudson THeatre, is playing through February 16th, 2020. The film is expected to have limited theatrical release and expected to have home distribution on DVD and Blu-Ray.

American Utopia reunites Academy, Grammy, and Golden Globe Award-winning musician David Byrne with director Alex Timbers, who is billed as the production consultant, along with choreographer Annie-B Parson.

This is not a first for Spike Lee, which previously filmed the Broadway production of Passing Strange. River Road Entertainment and Warner Music Group will co-finance the filmed production, which currently does not have a release timeline or distribution channel.

The production features songs from David Byrne's 2018 album of the same name, along with hits from his time as Talking Heads frontman and throughout his solo career. Joining him onstage are an eclectic group of international musicians: Jacquelene Acevedo, Gustavo Di Dalva, Daniel Freedman, Chris Giarmo, Tim Keiper, Tendayi Kuumba, Karl Mansfield, Mauro Refosco, Stéphane San Juan, Angie Swan, and Bobby Wooten III.