Two of our faves — and the best to ever do it — are teaming up again for yet another classic film. Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are creating their own English language adaptation of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa crime film “High and Low.”
Lee has expressed great admiration for Kurosawa and stated that Kurosawa is his inspiration for having a long lasting career. “Kurosawa was 86! I got to at least get to Kurosawa,” he said last year.
Lee and Washington first worked together on 1990s “Mo’ Better Blues.” In 1992, the pair collaborated again for the powerful biopic “Malcolm X,” for which Washington was nominated an Oscar. Seven years later, they teamed up for “He Got Game.” In 2006, the esteemed actor starred as a NYPD detective in Lee’s “Inside Man.”
In Kurosawa’s original film, Toshiro Minfune starred as a wealthy businessman whose chauffeur’s son is taken. It is based on Ed McBain’s 1959 novel entitled “King’s Ransom.”
The new version will see Lee serve as executive producer and director through his 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks. In addition, he and Alan Fox will write the script. The film will be produced by Todd Black, whose past works include “Emancipation” and “The Equalizer” films.
Black and Lee have worked together in the past on “The Equalizer” franchise as well as “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The movie is scheduled to start shooting in March and will be released in theaters. Folks will be able to see it on Apple TV+.
“High and Low” is also the second collaboration for Apple Original Films and Washington after “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” which was nominated for multiple Oscar awards. Washington won Best Actor for 2001’s “Training Day” as well as Supporting Actor for 1989’s “Glory.”