Spike Jonze Directing Beastie Boys Live Show, but There Will Only Be Three Performances

Spike Jonze isn’t ready to announce any new movies just yet, but he is set to return with a brand new project next month. The “Her” and “Being John Malkovich” director will direct the Beastie Boys in a brand new stage show entitled “Beastie Boys Story: As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz.” Diamond and Horovitz founded the rap group in 1981 with Adam Yauch, who passed away from cancer in 2012.

“Beastie Boys Story” will play for three nights only in Philadelphia and New York. The world premiere will take place at Philadelphia’s Tower Theater on April 5, followed by two performances at the Kings Theater in Brooklyn, New York on April 8 and April 9. Further details on the project are remaining under wraps. From the sound of it, the show looks to combine music and an oral history of the Beastie Boys’ founding and rise to becoming an iconic rap group.

Jonze was a frequent collaborator of the Beastie Boys throughout their heyday in the 1990s. The filmmaker directed such Beastie Boys’ music videos as “Time For Livin’,” “Rickey’s Theme,” “Sabotage,” and “Sure Shot.” Jonze’s clip for “Sabotage” is set up as the opening credits of a fictional 1970s police show and is often referenced as one of the best music videos ever made.

“Beastie Boys Story” will be the latest in a string of recent projects released by Jonze. The filmmaker partnered earlier this month with the cannabis company MedMen and cinematographer Bradford Young for a short film urging for marijuana legalization. Jonze also directed Idris Elba in an advertisement for Squarespace that debuted at the end of January. The director’s advertising work has been acclaimed, and he even won the 2019 DGA prize for Best Commercial Director of the Year thanks to his work on Apple’s “Welcome Home” ad.

Watch the teaser for “Beastie Boys Story: As Told By Michael Diamond & Adam Horovitz” in the video below.