Let’s be glad Lucas isn’t sitting in the big chair for Red Tails, his production about the Tuskegee Airmen — the first squad of African-American pilots in WWII. We’ve wondered for some time who would actually direct the picture, with things coming to a head after a vague AP report led many so believe Lucas would actually tackle it himself.
But at the Toronto Film Fest Roger Ebert spoke to Spike Lee (and the whole conversation is fascinating) who revealed that the director is Anthony Hemingway. The young director is a television veteran, with episodes of CSI, The Wire and Battlestar Galactica under his belt, in addition to much experience as an assistant director, which means he’s probably got the logistical skills to handle a big production. Nice to see Spike’s got his back, too, and I’m curious to find out whether he can elevate the material above basic made for cable status. Which, sad to say, is probably more than we could expect from Lucas.