Highest 2 Lowest was announced in February 2024, but it seems the buzz surrounding the film is stemmed by the reunion between director Spike Lee and actor Denzel Washington.
The duo is responsible for several classics dating back to the 1990s but have not worked together in almost two decades.
The assumption about this film was that Denzel was going to play the lead, but a new report from Billboard proves this to be untrue.
Music star ASAP Rocky will be taking center stage in the project.
Rumors of Rocky’s involvement surfaced after set photos showed him playing the character Yung Felon.
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According to Deadline, at the 2024 Red Sea International Film Festival. Lee confirmed that Rocky has a “main role” in Highest 2 Lowest.
Stating that, people will see when it comes out. It’s dynamite.”
Rapper A$AP Rocky has “the main role” in the film. This isn’t ASAP Rocky’s acting debut; the “Praise The Lord” made his movie debut in 2015’s Dope.
The musician and Riri’s baby daddy have also appeared in 2016’s Zoolander 2.
Earlier this year, Rocky appeared in Rihanna’s short film Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours.
Other cast members include Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and rapper Ice Spice, whose involvement was announced in April and who will also have a role in the film and is making her acting debut.
Spike Lee, however, refused to give details about the film when asked, but he did hint that
“In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker, but in the Red Sea Studios film, Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business.
During his interview with Deadline, he went on to say that this is the fifth film with the dynamic duo.”
That “dynamic duo” he’s referring to is himself and Washington, with Highest 2 Lowest marking the pair’s fifth film together, including Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man.
Lee also admitted that he “couldn’t believe” that Inside Man was 18 years ago, stating:
“It seemed like it was yesterday,” he said before praising Denzel for his performance in Gladiator II.
Which he noted was the highest-grossing film of the actor’s career with a $368M global tally.
“He’s definitely getting nominated,” Lee said of his chances for an Oscar this year.
According to Spike Lee, the upcoming film is not a remake but rather a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s great film, Highest 2 Lowest.
The film is inspired by the Japanese director’s 1963 crime thriller High and Low.
Kurosawa’s original 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.
According to Lee, Apple Original Films and A24 are partnering on the project. The film will be released in theaters before its global launch on AppleTV+ next summer.
