For the first time in almost 20 years, Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting on the silver screen for yet another ambitious project. The duo have joined forces with Apple Studios and A24 on High and Low, which will receive a theatrical run before a global launch on Apple TV+.
The thriller is the English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime drama of the same name. Starring Kurosawa staple Toshiro Mifune, it follows the ruin of a businessman who begins to question his morality after his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped. Production for the remake reportedly begins this March, with Washington believed to be playing the lead role.
Other details, such as a release date and casting, have yet to be announced. Lee, who also serves as executive producer, and Alan Fox will co-write the script, with Todd Black (Emancipation, The Equalizer) and Jason Michael Berman (Air, Nine Days) producing.
High and Low will mark the fifth collaboration between Washington and Lee, who last worked on a project together during 2006’s Inside Man. The project is also the former’s second joint with Apple Original Films following The Tragedy of Macbeth, which scored the actor his 10th Oscar nomination for Best Actor.
This won’t be the first reimagining of the Kurosawa classic. In 2007, director Yasuo Tsuruhashi remade High and Low for Japanese television, despite it being one of the filmmaker’s lesser-known works. Miramax Films attempted a reboot in the early 2000s with Martin Scorsese, but it didn’t see the light of the day. At one point, Steven Spielberg was attached to a remake of the film as well, but likewise, nothing came out of it.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Trinity Sun
Natalie
