Spike Lee Goes 'Back in the Editing Room' to Rework Final Episode of 9/11 Docuseries After Criticism for Featuring Conspiracy Theorists

In his latest attempt to “do the right thing,” Spike Lee is headed back to the cutting room floor to re-edit the final episode of his newly released four-part HBO docuseries, NYC Epicenters 9/11➔2021½.

Per Rolling Stone, Lee’s decision comes amid growing criticism over his choice to include interviews with 9/11 conspiracy theorists, specifically the group Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth and its founder Richard Gage.

“I’m Back In The Editing Room And Looking At The Eighth And Final Chapter Of NYC EPICENTERS 9/11➔2021½,” Lee said in a statement from HBO. “I Respectfully Ask You To Hold Your Judgement Until You See The FINAL CUT.”

Though the group’s theories have been widely debunked in the two decades since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Lee also expressed his skepticism over how things went down that day in a recent interview with the New York Times:

“I got questions,” Lee explained. “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 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 installment of NYC Epicenters 9/11➔2021½ premiered on Sunday, August 22. The fourth and final episode is expected to debut on September 11 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the attacks. According to Deadline, the episode will “weave together a picture of September 11, 2001, as it unfolded for the New Yorkers on the ground and the first responders who raced to the scene after two hijacked planes were deliberately flown into the buildings. The towers ultimately collapsed, killing almost 3,000 in the most deadly terror attack on U.S. soil in history.”

You can catch the next episode this Sunday, August 29, when it airs at 6 p.m. ET on HBO.