Oscar-winning film director, Spike Lee, accused Bill Cosby of stealing his idea from the film School Daze.
What We Know:
- Lee stated in a tweet that the incarcerated comic “jacked” his idea for the film School Daze for the popular TV series A Different World. Both projects are based on the HBCU experience.
And For Record. SCHOOL DAZE Was Shot Before DIFFERENT WORLD. Robbi Reed Cast Both. Bill Cosby Jacked Us. #FACT #schooldazeonnetflix
— Spike Lee (@SpikeLeeJoint) April 4, 2020
- Lee’s film began streaming on Netflix this week. The Brooklyn native also tweeted additional background info about the movie.
- Cosby created and executive produced A Different World, the popular spin-off of The Cosby Show, which followed Denise Huxtable’s life at Hillman College, a fictional HBCU.
- The series premiered in September 1987, while School Daze premiered in February 1988, though filming was completed before that of A Different World, according to Lee.
School Daze was inspired by Lee’s time as an undergraduate at Morehouse College. The movie cast included Lee himself, Lawrence Fishburne, Bill Nunn, and Tisha Campbell and tackled issues such as pledging in Black fraternities and sororities, along with colorism.
