We already know that Denzel Washington stars in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” which is being helmed by A24 and Apple Studios. The film was originally reported to be a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “High & Low.” Lee hired Alan Fox and Lee to write the script.
Lee is now confirming that “Highest 2 Lowest,” which is currently in post-production, has seemingly set up a “summer 2025” release, at least according to him (via The Gibbes Museum). Lee does want to clarify that the film is not a “remake,” but rather a “reinterpretation” of Kurosawa’s crime thriller.
In the Kurosawa film, the central character is a shoemaker. In Lee’s interpretation, Washington is a New York record executive. Kurosawa’s film follows an executive at a Yokohama shoe company who becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
The great Matthew Libatique was hired as director of photography. Libatique is best known for being Darren Aronofsky’s long-standing DP. They have collaborated together on seven films, including “Requiem For A Dream,” “Black Swan,” and “mother!” Libatique previously collaborated with Lee on four films, including 2006’s “Inside Man.”
Hard to believe, but, as legendary an actor/director duo as Denzel/Spike might be, this will only be the fifth time that they have worked together. For some reason, I thought they had made more films. So far, their creative partnership has resulted in “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game,” “Mo Better Blues” and “Inside Man.”
“Highest 2 Lowest” stars Denzel, Jeffrey Wright, ASAP Rocky, Ice Spice, Ilfenesh Hadera and Dean Winters. If Spike is correct, and the film is indeed coming out in “summer 2025,” then a Cannes world premiere is an inevitability.