Spike Lee is back — and this time, he’s bringing Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky along for a reimagining of one of cinema’s most revered thrillers. Highest 2 Lowest, set to premiere at Cannes on May 19, takes Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low as its foundation and transposes the story into the high-rise, high-stakes world of the New York music industry. Washington plays a record executive whose life is upended when his chauffeur’s son is mistakenly kidnapped for ransom.
This marks Lee and Washington’s first collaboration in over two decades, following a string of landmark projects including Malcolm X and Inside Man. Their reunion is significant not only for what it signals about the project’s tone — weighty but electric — but also for the generational bridge it builds by casting A$AP Rocky alongside Washington. The screenplay, penned by Alan Fox and Lee, promises a fresh take on class, identity, and moral pressure in an urban setting.
With its layered source material, heavyweight cast, and Lee’s signature directness, Highest 2 Lowest could prove to be more than just a remake — it may well be one of the most closely watched titles of the season when it hits cinemas on August 22, ahead of its Apple TV+ debut on September 5.
