"That's the query I pose to you... can you rise to the challenge?" A24 has unveiled the initial, tantalizing teaser trailer for Spike Lee's latest cinematic venture, titled "Highest 2 Lowest," a contemporary reimagining of Akira Kurosawa's timeless 1963 masterpiece, "High and Low" (also known as "Heaven and Hell"). Last year, Spike was lensing this gripping film in the heart of NYC, and now, it stands poised for a summer release.
"Highest 2 Lowest" will make its grand debut at the prestigious 2025 Cannes Film Festival, screening out-of-competition in just a matter of weeks (the full lineup can be found here). Following its Cannes premiere, the film will then hit theaters nationwide at the tail end of August. After a nearly two-decade hiatus, Denzel Washington, a two-time Academy Award winner, reunites with the legendary Spike Lee for this electrifying collaboration.
This pulse-quickening NYC thriller revolves around a music industry genius. When a colossal music mogul, revered for possessing the "best ears in the business," finds himself entangled in a ransom scheme, he is thrust into a harrowing moral dilemma that could very well determine his fate. This modern reinterpretation of Kurosawa's kidnapping thriller, "High and Low," unfolds on the gritty streets of contemporary New York City.
Starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice, Dean Winters, and John Douglas Thompson, the film promises to be a visual and narrative feast. While the teaser trailer doesn't offer a plethora of footage, it whets the appetite for what promises to be an exhilarating cinematic experience.
In "Highest 2 Lowest," Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for the fifth time in their illustrious working relationship, breathing new life into the crime thriller genre that Kurosawa popularized. Directed by the prolific and award-winning American filmmaker Spike Lee, whose credits include "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X," "Clockers," "He Got Game," "25th Hour," "Inside Man," "Red Hook Summer," "Da Sweet Blood of Jesus," "Chi-Raq," "Rodney King," "BlacKkKlansman," "Da 5 Bloods," and "David Byrne's American Utopia," this film is a testament to his unwavering commitment to storytelling excellence.
The screenplay, penned by Alan Fox, is based on the novel "King's Ransom" by Evan Hunter and the original 1963 film screenplay by Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima, Eijirô Hisaita, and Akira Kurosawa. The film is produced by Jason Michael Berman and Todd Black.
"Highest 2 Lowest" will make its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival this month. Following its festival run, A24 will release Spike Lee's latest film in select US theaters on August 22nd, 2025, before it becomes available for streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 5th. Are you ready to be enthralled?
