- The film is a remake of the 1963 film by famous filmmaker Kurosawa.
- Washington, 69, and Lee, 66, have worked together on four films.
- They include Inside Man, He Got Game, Malcolm X and Mo’ Better Blues.
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee will work together again, for the first time since 2006, in a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low.
Washington, 69, and Lee, 66, have worked together on four films, including the 2006 crime thriller Inside Man, the 1998 sports drama He Got Game, the 1992 biopic Malcolm X and the 1990 musical drama Mo’ Better Blues.
The High and Low remake will be a collaboration with A24, which will release the film in theaters; and Apple Original Films, which will release the film worldwide through its AppleTV+ platform.
The film is not included as part of a deal A24 and streaming service Max struck last year, sources close to it said. Variety Thursday.
Under the terms of its agreement with Max, A24 films are presented during the period known as the ‘pay one’ window, which covers the period in which a film is released on cable after its release in theaters and on-demand services. , the media reported. .
Spike Lee, 66, and Denzel Washington, 69, will work together again, for the first time since 2006, in the remake of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 film High and Low. The Oscar-winning filmmaker and actor were photographed at an event in Los Angeles in 2019.
The English-language remake of the Japanese crime thriller comes more than 60 years after Toshiro Mifune played the role of Kingo Gondo in the Kurosawa-directed crime thriller, which was based on Ed McBain’s 1959 novel, King’s Ransom.
The story revolved around a shoe company executive who was extorted by kidnappers who mistakenly took his driver’s son and held him for ransom.
It was not immediately clear how the film’s story and structure would change in the remade film.
Lee and Washington have remained friendly, as they sat together at a March 2023 game between Lee’s beloved New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Lee’s last feature film came five years ago with the 2020 war drama Da 5 Bloods. The film starred the late Chadwick Boseman, Delroy Lindo and Jonathan Majors.
Washington has appeared on the big screen in recent years in the 2023 crime thriller The Equalizer 3, which grossed more than $191 million worldwide, according to box office mojo.
Before that, Washington starred in the 2021 film The Tragedy of Macbeth, earning an Oscar nomination for his work in the Joel Coen-directed film, which was also published by A24 and Apple.
Washington has won two Academy Awards for his work: best supporting actor for Glory in 1990; and Best Leading Actor for Training Day in 2002.
Lee and Washington photographed last year at a Lakers-Knicks game at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Lee and Washington were photographed in 2006 at the New York premiere of their film Inside Man.
Washington played the lead role in Lee’s 1992 film, Malcolm X.
The English-language remake of the Japanese crime thriller comes more than 60 years after Toshiro Mifune played the role of Kingo Gondo in the Kurosawa-directed crime thriller, which was based on Ed McBain’s 1959 novel, King’s Ransom.
Peter Guber is the film’s executive producer, as other producers include Lee, Jason Michael Berman and Todd Black.
Black has previously worked with Washington on films such as Fences, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the film The Equalizer.
Production on the film, written by Lee and Alan Fox, is scheduled to begin next month.