NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- After a heap of backlash on his new 9/11 docuseries, Spike Lee is making some changes.
The iconic director told The Wrap in a statement, “I’m Back In The Editing Room And Looking At The Eighth And Final Chapter Of NYC EPICENTERS 9/11➔2021½. I Respectfully Ask You To Hold Your Judgement Until You See The FINAL CUT.”
In an interview with the New York Times, Lee responded to why he included 9/11 conspiracy theorists in his "NYC EPICENTERS 9/11 - 2021 ½" series with, “Because I still don’t. .. I mean, I got questions.”
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The eight-hour series premiered its first chapter earlier this week on HBO, with a focus on both Sept. 11, 2001 and the pandemic.
Lee told the Times he had hoped his latest work would lead to Congress holding a hearing on questions about the attacks on the World Trade Center.
“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,” said Lee.
Some of the backlash centers around Lee reportedly speaking to the conspiracy group Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth in the series’ last episode.
Reactions on Twitter included users calling Lee reviving the theories “so pathetic” and “extremely disappointing and disheartening.”
The series has some well-known names within it — like Rosie Perez and Sen. Chuck Schumer — along with many firefighters, health care workers and more who played an instrumental part in the response to the attacks.
“I think that we’re honoring the people who lost their lives, people who lost lives with 9/11 related illnesses,” said Lee about the connection between two major events. “And also the more than 600,000 Americans who are no longer here because of Covid.”