Denzel Washington and Spike Lee to reunite for ‘High and Low’ remake

Filmmaker Spike Lee (left) presents actor Denzel Washington with his Life Achievement Award on stage during the 47th American Film Institute (AFI) Life Achievement Award Gala at the Dolby theatre in Hollywood on June 6, 2019. JEAN-BAPTISTE LACROIX / AFP

LOS ANGELES—Frequent collaborators Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting to adapt a classic movie by legendary Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa, Apple announced Thursday, Feb. 8.

Crime thriller “High and Low” will begin production in March, and will be the fifth film directed by Lee and starring Washington, after acclaimed hits such as “Malcolm X.”

No release date has yet been set for the new movie, which will be released in theaters by indie distributor A24, before streaming globally on Apple TV+.

The original “High and Low,” released in 1963, told the story of a wealthy businessman who believes his son has been kidnapped.

In a case of mistaken identity, it emerges that his chauffeur’s son has been kidnapped instead, leaving the businessman facing the dilemma of whether to still pay the ransom.

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Kurosawa, widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time, directed classics such as “Rashomon” and “Seven Samurai.”

His film “Ikiru” was recently adapted into English for 2022 Oscar-nominated drama “Living”—a film which transposed events from the original’s Japanese setting to 1950s London.

Apple did not provide any details on the setting for the new English-language reinterpretation, co-written by Lee.

Lee recently received an honorary Oscar for a film career including “Do the Right Thing” and “She’s Gotta Have It,” and won a competitive Oscar for writing “BlacKkKlansman” in 2019.

Washington has two Oscars, for “Glory” and “Training Day,” and was nominated for Lee’s “Malcolm X.”

The pair have also collaborated on “Mo’ Better Blues,” “He Got Game” and “Inside Man.”