*Spike Lee and Denzel Washington’s cinematic partnership, spanning five films, has produced iconic works like “Malcolm X” and “Inside Man.”
At the Cannes premiere of their latest, “Highest 2 Lowest,” Lee suggested it might be their final collaboration, stating, “I think this is it — five.” He noted Washington’s talk of retirement but acknowledged his new deal, adding, “Five films together, they stand up.”
At the New York premiere, however, Lee reversed his stance. “I said that before, but I got my mind right,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “I’m open to work with Denzel Washington and this not be the last film of the dynamic duo, D and Lee.”
Their bond, described as “We are brothers,” reflects a deep connection, with Lee noting, “We are familiar with each other. Also, our families are very tight.”
“Highest 2 Lowest,” a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 “High and Low,” stars Washington as a music mogul caught in a ransom scheme with moral stakes. Lee, a Kurosawa admirer since his NYU days, recalled, “I became a student of Akira Kurosawa at NYU’s graduate film school — that’s where I saw Rashomon, that’s where I saw many of Samurai films, that’s where I saw High and Low.”
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Washington sent him the script, and Lee quickly agreed: “I read it right away, called him up, I think the next day and said, ‘Let’s go.’ It happened like that.”
The film boasts a vibrant cast, including A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, and Ice Spice. Lee teased its themes, saying, “We know what that is and we know that sometimes in life we have to make that choice. And hopefully we make the right choice.”
Lee shared his enthusiasm for the project on Instagram: “I know you have been waiting hella long.”
With its theatrical release on Friday and Apple TV+ streaming on September 5,
“Highest 2 Lowest” hits U.S. theaters on August 22 and streams on Apple TV+ starting September 5.
Denzel Washington and A$AP Rocky together on the red carpet at the premiere of #Highest2Lowest pic.twitter.com/nRcnwQR4us
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 11, 2025
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