Spike Lee is returning to the Croisette, and he’s bringing Denzel Washington with him.
Lee’s long-rumored, reimagined adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime classic High and Low — now titled Highest 2 Lowest — has officially been added to the 2025 Cannes Film Festival lineup. The announcement came directly from Lee himself, just an hour after the festival’s official press conference had wrapped, with the film notably absent from the initially announced slate.
“Bon Jour. Good Morning. Whaddup?” Lee wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. “Bon Jour. Good Morning. Whaddup❓Da New SPIKE LEE JOINT-HIGHEST 2 LOWEST Starring My Brother DENZEL WASHINGTON Has Been Invited To Da 2025 CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (In The Out Of Competition Category).” The post was accompanied by a stitched graphic reading “Highest 2 Lowest 2 Cannes.”
The film — Lee’s first feature since Da 5 Bloods — is an English-language reinterpretation of Kurosawa’s genre-defining masterpiece and marks his latest collaboration with Washington, nearly three decades after they last teamed on He Got Game.
Joining Washington in the cast is a striking mix of veterans and newcomers, including Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and two unexpected additions: hip-hop stars A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice. The film is a joint effort between indie powerhouse A24 and Apple Original Films, with a theatrical run set to precede its streaming release on Apple TV+.
Though not included in Cannes’ official lineup earlier in the day, festival organizers confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that Highest 2 Lowest will premiere out of competition on Monday, May 19.
According to sources, the film’s omission was due to pending confirmation of Washington’s attendance, as the Oscar winner is currently starring in Othello on Broadway. With Mondays traditionally being a day off for Broadway actors, both Lee and Washington are now confirmed to attend the premiere.
First look at Spike Lee’s remake of ‘HIGH AND LOW’
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) April 10, 2025
Starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice. pic.twitter.com/eFtn3ilBkp
Highest 2 Lowest follows the core structure of Kurosawa’s original — a tense, class-conscious thriller set against the backdrop of a kidnapping gone wrong — but is expected to lean heavily into Lee’s signature style and social commentary, recontextualizing the story for modern-day America.
Photo Credit: DepositPhotos.com
