Malcolm D. Lee has spent decades making some of the most recognizable comedies in Black cinema, from The Best Man franchise to Girls Trip and Space Jam: A New Legacy. Now, the filmmaker is stepping into a new genre with his first thriller, a move he says wouldn’t have happened at just any point in his career.

Lee reflected on why now was the right time to take on a thriller with Sprung, the Peacock film starring Chloe Bailey, Lucien Laviscount, Anna Diop, Lynn Whitfield and Coco Jones.

“I’m glad that it came along when it came along,” Lee said. “Same thing with Space Jam. I’m glad it came along when it came along because I was ready for it. I was ready for the challenge of having done a number of movies and gone through the process of gathering the right crew, gathering the right cast, expressing my vision, being very clear about that vision and communicating it.”

While Lee believes he may have been capable of directing a thriller earlier in his career, he isn’t convinced it would have been the right fit at the time.

“Could I have done this earlier in my career? It’s possible,” he said. “Would I have been attracted to it or would’ve wanted to do it? Probably. But I’m glad that it came along when it came along.”

Lee also pointed to broader changes within Hollywood that have made genre filmmaking more accessible for Black directors.

“I think movies like thrillers and horror movies weren’t even … back in the early 2010s, they weren’t really happening,” he said. “The whole business is very cyclical.”

For Lee, the industry’s evolution has opened doors for filmmakers to tell stories beyond the categories they’ve often been expected to occupy.

“I’m glad that other Black filmmakers are having the opportunity to tell mixed genres and tell different types of stories, because we don’t want to just be put in the box of ‘Black filmmaker,'” Lee said. “I’m happy to be a Black filmmaker, but I’m a filmmaker, and there’s no such genre as Black movie.”

Instead, Lee said films should simply be viewed by the genres they belong to.

“It’s a romantic drama, it’s a romantic comedy, it’s a drama, it’s a sports thing, it’s a historical drama, whatever you want to call it,” he said. “These are the genres that exist. It just happens to have a Black cast or a Black director.”

Opening ABFF’s milestone year

The film also carries added significance because it opened the American Black Film Festival as the event celebrated its 30th anniversary.

Lee, who has a long history with the festival, said the moment felt especially meaningful.

“As you said, I’ve had history with this festival,” he said. “To be a part of the opening film for the 30th anniversary of this festival is a thrill and it’s an honor.”

Lee said he’s grateful the festival selected the movie to launch its milestone year and is eager for audiences to experience it.

“I’m extremely grateful and excited,” he said. “I’m excited to share this movie with audiences because I think it will be a thrill ride for them.”

He added that premiering his first thriller at ABFF made the moment even more special.

“I’m extremely grateful to the ABFF team and the family to let me have my first thriller there on Opening Night at the film festival.”

Strung is now on Peacock. Watch the interview with Lee and the cast below: