FilmmakerSpike Leetook to hisInstagramaccount to give fans a first glimpse of his upcomingHighest 2 Lowest, a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic film noirHigh and Low, starringDenzel Washington. In the post, Lee thanked “the judge and jury for the not guilty verdict,” referring to rapper andHighest 2 Lowestco-star A$AP Rocky’s acquittal on felony assault charges on Jun 28, 2025.
Alongside the caption, Lee shared a still of Rocky from the film, wearing what appears to be an orange prison uniform. Very little is know about the project other than it’s a “reinterpretation of the great Kurosawa,” according to Lee (viaVariety). The original film,High and Low, follows Kingo Gondo (frequent Kurosawa collaborator Toshiro Mifune), a wealthy shoe company executive whose chauffeur’s son is mistakenly kidnapped and ransomed for 30 million yen.
Lee stated in an interview withDeadlinethat Washington will play a new version of Mifune’s character,“a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business.“It’s unclear at this time exactly what character Rocky plays, though his name has been identified as Yung Felon. Lee states that Rocky has “the main role” in the film, suggesting that Washington will be acting in a supporting role this time around.
Highest 2 Lowestmarks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington, followingMo’ Better Blues,Malcolm X,He Got GameandInside Man,the latter of which came out 18 years ago. The film also stars fellow rapper Ice Spice, Dean Winters, of30 Rockfame, andThe BatmanandAmerican Fictionstar Jeffrey Wright.
No exact release date has been set, butHighest 2 Lowestis expected to hit theaters sometime in the summer. The film is a co-production of Apple Films and A24.
Denzel Washington Could Be Busy With Marvel Projects For the Foreseeable Future
Highest 2 Lowestmay well prove to be Washington’s only film of 2025, as the actor might be busy witha major Marvel roleafter Washington himself spilled the beans several months back about his casting inBlack Panther 3.Separate reports suggest Washington will be playing the villain in the MCU’s revampedX-Men, quite possibly referring to Magneto. Nothing official has been announced as of this writing, but the Black Panther 3 appearance seems to be almost set in stone.
As for Lee, he has a few projects on the backburner at the moment, including the LaKeith Stanfield-ledPrince of Cats, an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Ron Wimberly that retells Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet via the lens of ’80s hip hop culture. However, nothing new has been reported about this project for some time now.
Every Spike Lee Film Starring Denzel Washington, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes Score
Four films, four gems. These are Spike Lee’s films starring Denzel Washington, ranked by Rotten Tomatoes' scores.
Lee was also attached to directDa Understudy, which wasat one point to star and be produced by Jonathan Majors, but given the actor’s legal troubles following assault charges and the backlash his career suffered as a result, this currently seems unlikely. Whether or not the project will move forward without Majors’s involvement remains to be seen.
