David Byrne's Spike Lee-Directed 'American Utopia' Is Coming to HBO

BY Brock ThiessenPublished Jun 16, 2020

David Byrne recently broke the news that he had teamed up with director Spike Lee to treat the Talking Heads legend's American Utopia to a film. Now, HBO has revealed its acquired the project and will air the movie this year.

As previously reported, American Utopia is based on Byrne's hugely successful Broadway musical of the same name. It documents Byrne's days in Talking Heads all the way up to his 2018 American Utopia album, with the artist joined by an 11-piece ensemble performing various tracks from his career.

"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 said in a statement. "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 and, well, best to let the quotes speak for themselves. Thrilled that this show and the subjects it addresses will now reach a wider audience."

American Utopia ran from October 2019 and to February 2020, though a second run of shows was called off due to COVID-19.

So far, there is no firm premiere date for American Utopia on HBO.

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