Spike Lee Says ‘Malcolm X’ Saved By Jordan, Prince, and J…

Spike Lee counted on his wealthy friends to help save his film, Malcolm X.

The legendary director sat down with Jimmy Fallon, who asked if it was true that Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan helped “finance” the 1992 offering.

“It really wasn’t a finance,” Lee explained. “Warner Bros. did not want Malcolm X to be over three hours, and I was not gonna do that. And so they stopped production of the film and gave the film over to the bond company. They sent letters to all the people, post-production, we were fired. I had put half my salary into the movie from the get-go.”

He said that in making the movie, he had “become a student of Malcolm,” who often spoke of “self-determination” and “self-reliance.”

“I know some rich Black folks,” Spike added, laughing, “And I had their number!”

He said he then made a list of whom he could reach out to, and that every time he asked for money, “no one said no.” The list included Prince, Janet Jackson, and Tracy Chapman—and the last two people he contacted were Magic and MJ.

“Every time I ask [for] the gift, I’m begging. Hat in hand,” Lee said. He first called Johnson, and then Michael, to whom he let slip how much Magic donated.

“Jordan said, ‘What? Magic gave what? Okay, Spike, boom!’ And that’s how the film got made.”

According to the Los Angeles Times, Malcolm X wasn’t just a little over budget, but roughly $5 million over, not a small amount of money, particularly in 1992.

The iconic film stars Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Delroy Lindo, and Spike Lee. It earned multiple nominations, including two Academy Awards for best actor and best costume design, and a Golden Globe for best actor in a motion picture—drama.

Lee is working with Washington again on the neo-noir crime thriller film Highest 2 Lowest, which also stars ASAP Rocky, Ice Spice, Jeffrey Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera. The movie hits theaters on Aug. 15 and debuts on Apple TV+ on Sept. 5.