Spike Lee is re-editing the final episode of his HBO documentary series NYC Epicenters 9/11-2021½ following public outcry after he included interviews with conspiracy theorists.
A source told The Wrap there will be an updated final cut of the fourth episode.
“I respectfully ask you to hold your judgement until you see the final cut,” Lee said in a statement obtained by the outlet that was sent with the updated screeners.
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As previously reported, the three-episode series details accounts from first responders, eyewitnesses, survivors, and family members of 9/11 victims on how the day and its aftermath unfolded in the city.
But Lee received criticism for including interviews with conspiracy theorists alongside politicians and others who lost loved ones during the terrorist attack in New York.
In an interview with The New York Times published Monday, the filmmaker said his reasoning for including the controversial interviews was “because I still don’t … I mean, I got questions. And I hope that maybe the legacy of this documentary is that Congress holds a hearing, a congressional hearing about 9/11.”
The Do the Right Thing director added: “The amount of heat that it takes to make steel melt, that temperature’s not reached. And then the juxtaposition of the way Building 7 fell to the ground — when you put it next to other building collapses that were demolitions, it’s like you’re looking at the same thing. But people are going to make up their own mind. My approach is put the information in the movie and let people decide for themselves. I respect the intelligence of the audience.”
The first episode of NYC Epicenters 9/11->2021½ debuted this past Sunday and the second episode will air this Sunday. The finale will culminate on Sept. 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The series airs on HBO and is available to stream on HBO Max.
The first episode chronicled the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and its effect on Brooklyn, and the other two episodes focus on the Black Lives Matter movement.
