Spike Lee To Make 'Miracle at St. Anna'

Spike Lee will shoot an Italy-set World War II drama based on "Miracle at St. Anna," U.S. author James McBride's novel about black American soldiers fighting the German army in the mountains of Tuscany.

High-profile project about the true tale of four members of the U.S. Army's 92nd Division of all-black soldiers, who in 1944 became trapped in a Tuscan village, as they contended with their racist, incompetent commanders and the Nazis, is being shepherded by Italian producers Luigi Musini and Roberto Cicutto.

"This is a big-budget project which will feature a mostly American cast," Musini told Daily Variety, adding that negotiations are ongoing to bring international partners on board.