Great to see this. Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are teaming up once again, marking a powerful reunion for their latest project, Highest 2 Lowest. The first trailer for the A24 and Apple-backed crime drama has officially dropped, building excitement ahead of its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. The film will arrive in theaters on August 22 and begin streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 5.
The highly anticipated new film continues a long-standing creative partnership between Washington and Lee, who previously collaborated on Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998), and Inside Man (2006).
Reflecting on the inspirations that have shaped his storytelling style, Lee shared how international cinema has long influenced his approach to filmmaking. “One of the best things about film school is that you get introduced to world cinema, not just Hollywood,” he 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.”
Lee also opened up about the casting of rapper A$AP Rocky during an appearance on Wave Originals’ 7 PM in Brooklyn, hosted by Carmelo Anthony. “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.”