Denzel Washington And Spike Lee Reunite On ‘‘Highest 2 Lowest’ Trailer  

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reunited, and it feels so good.

The Oscar-winning actor and the Oscar-winning director have released the first trailer for their A24 and Apple crime thriller, Highest 2 Lowest. After premiering later this month at the Cannes Film Festival, the film is set to be released in theaters on August 22 and stream on Apple TV+ starting Sept. 5.

Previously, the two industry titans worked together on Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998), and Inside Man  (2006).

In the Highest 2 Lowest, Lee reinterprets Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller based on the Ed McBain novel “King’s Ransom,” about the ruin of a businessman who pays a ransom to kidnappers. The film begins production this March with a script written by Lee and  Alan Fox. Lee will also serve as executive producer through his 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks.

 At the Red Sea Film Festival, Lee spoke about his highly anticipated film.

“One of the best things about film school is that you get introduced to world cinema, not just Hollywood,” Lee said. “Seeing Kurosawa’s film ‘Rashomon’ and its structure inspired me to make ‘She’s Gotta Have It.’ In ‘Rashomon,’ you have three people who witness a rape, and each gives their own opinion of what happened. In ‘She’s Gotta Have It,’ Nola Darling has three boyfriends who each see her in a different way. From the very beginning of my career, I was influenced by Kurosawa.”

During an appearance on Wave Original’s 7 PM In Brooklyn featuring Carmelo Anthony, Lee shared why he cast A$AP Rocky in one of the starring roles.

“What’s funny is that I was looking at Instagram, four or five years ago, and people were saying that ASAP [Rocky] looked like he’s Denzel’s son,” Lee explained. “I seen those memes, and then in the film we used that. ASAP, man, he fire.”

“I mean, there’s some scenes where he and Denzel Washington head to head–he ain’t backing up. Like I’m here too. So very, very happy with the way the film turned out and looking forward to sharing it with the world.”