Chadwick Boseman To Star In Spike Lee's Vietnam Veteran Drama 'Da 5 Bloods' At Netflix

Director Spike Lee and actor Chadwick Boseman have been riding quite the wave throughout awards season. Spike Lee's latest film BlacKkKlansman is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars, and it also landed him a Best Director nomination. Meanwhile, Chadwick Boseman is the star of the Best Picture nominated Black Panther, which earned six other noms. Now the two are teaming up for a new project at Netflix called Da 5 Bloods.

The Hollywood Reporter has news on Da 5 Bloods, which will be directed by Spike Lee and will star Chadwick Boseman. Netflix has picked up the project, which sounds like it will likely be pushed as an Oscar contender when all is said and done. It's the first time Spike Lee has partnered with a streaming service for a feature film.Da 5 Bloods is said to follow a group of Vietnam veterans who "go back to the jungle to find their lost innocence and put their broken selves back together." It almost sounds like a spiritual sequel to Apocalypse Now. But I wouldn't be surprised if there's an angle here dealing with the experience of black soldiers in a controversial war like this. Vietnam was the first major war in which black soldiers were fully integrated into the military following the civil rights revolution of the 1950s and 1960s. But that doesn't mean segregation wasn't still present in some capacity.

Though Chadwick Boseman is set to star in the movie, he's not the only cast member on board. Delroy Lindo (Gone in 60 Seconds) is also on board, and he already has a history with Spike Lee on movies like Malcolm X, Crooklyn and Clockers. But the film won't focus exclusively on black soldiers in Vietnam, because Leon: The Professional star Jean Reno also has a role in the film.

Spike Lee is writing Da 5 Bloods with his BlacKkKlansman writer Kevin Wilmott, based on an original script written by Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo, which was subsequently rewritten by Matthew Billingsley. Beatriz and Lloyd Levin are producing with Jon Kilik and Spike Lee.

Netflix was previously in business with Spike Lee with a series remake of his film She's Gotta Have It. The filmmaker directed every episode in the first season, and he must have enjoyed the experience if he's teaming up with the streaming service for a feature film. We'll have to wait and see if it ends up being one that gets recognition during awards season.