Spike Lee already had two projects in development: “Da Understudy” starring Jonathan Majors (good luck with that one) and his Viagra musical “Boner.” However, he’s decided to tackle another project as his next film.
Denzel Washington will star in Lee’s “High and Low” for A24 and Apple Studios. The film will be a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s crime thriller of the same name and will be written by Alan Fox and Lee. Production is set to begin in March.
Kurosawa’s classic 1963 crime thriller follows an executive at a Yokohama shoe company who becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom.
This is actually a far better idea for a remake than Lee’s misbegotten “Oldboy” take in 2013. There’s a lot more to chew on here with Kurosawa’s source material and hopefully Lee will put a fresh new spin on it. “High and Low” actually finished at #15 on our Best of the 1960s critics poll.
Hard to believe, but, as legendary a duo as they might be, this will only be the fifth time Lee and Washington have worked together on a film. For some reason, I thought they had made more films. So far, their creative partnership has resulted in “Malcolm X,” “He Got Game,” “Mo Better Blues” and, most recently, 2006’s “Inside Man.”
Lee’s notable works include “Do the Right Thing,” “Malcom X,” “The 25th Hour,” “Jungle Fever,” “Summer of Sam” and “BlacKKKlansman.”