Spike Lee, Denzel Washington team up for Akira Kurosawa's remake of High and Low

A fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington is in the works, with the pair working together on a “reinterpretation” of Akira Kurosawa's “High and Low.”

The fifth joint between Denzel and Spike.
High and Low, a reinterpretation of the Akira Kurosawa classic.

Filming begins in March.

– Apple Original Films (@AppleFilms) February 8, 2024

Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller revolves around a wealthy Japanese businessman who begins to question his morals after his driver's son is kidnapped. The new film is set to begin production next month and is part of a partnership between A24 and Apple Original Films, with the former set to distribute the film theatrically before it hits the Apple TV+ streaming service. Lee and Alan Fox will co-write the script, according to diverse.

As previously mentioned, Washington and Lee worked together on four other films. The most recent is the 2006 crime thriller, Inside Man, in which Washington played the lead role.

The announcement between the distributors, Apple and A24, is interesting, as the latter recently signed a multi-year deal with Warner Bros. Discovery to stream A24 movies exclusively on HBO, Max and Cinemax. However, it is important to note that this film will not make its way to any WB Discovery platform and will remain exclusive to the Apple TV+ streaming platform when it ends its theatrical run.

Editor's note: The story has been updated to confirm that the film will remain exclusive to Apple TV+ after its theatrical release.
Image credit: Eric Foake/Stringer/Getty Images

Taylor is a reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @Ty Nexter.