How New Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Movie Took 35 Years to Get Made

Most movie development stories fizzle in the pitch room — but not “Highest 2 Lowest.” This remake of Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” stuck in development hell for 35 years, finally made it to the silver screen as the first collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington in nearly two decades. What began in 1990 with Pulitzer Prize winner David Mamet attached as writer cycled through a parade of A-list filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Walter Salles, with studios reportedly spending around $10 million trying to get it made.

According to THR, in 1990, the project began its long journey with Pulitzer Prize-winning David Mamet attached as writer, but it quickly stalled. Directors like Martin Scorsese and Walter Salles came and went, and major studios reportedly sunk around $10 million into development. It wasn’t until producer Jason Michael Berman (then in grade school) and Alan Fox—an unknown screenwriter paid to write unproduced scripts—took a fresh crack at it, that things truly moved forward.

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Reinventing a Classic: How a Millennial Duo Revived a Dormant Script

While Hollywood tried to remake the 1959 Ed McBain novel “King’s Ransom” several times, Berman struck gold in 2019. With the rights up for grabs, he seized them for $150,000 and spent three years securing approval from the Kurosawa estate. He then brought on Alan Fox, whose take reset the narrative: instead of a Japanese shoe executive, the story centered in New York with Denzel Washington in mind—now playing a struggling music mogul haunted by a kidnapping gone wrong.

Fox relocated to rural Arizona to write his version, turning the tale into a generational drama about late-stage capitalism and the social media era. His script hit the mark—so much so that Denzel Washington sent it directly to Spike Lee. After reading it, Lee quickly said yes.

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Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Reunion Pays Off

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Spike Lee and Denzel Washington’s creative partnership dates back over three decades, beginning with their iconic work on 1992’s “Malcolm X,” followed by acclaimed projects like “He Got Game” and “Inside Man.” Despite their celebrated history, the two hadn’t collaborated since 2006. Their long-awaited reunion for “Highest 2 Lowest” premiered to acclaim at Cannes and debuted in limited theaters on August 15, with a streaming release set for Apple TV+ on September 5. The film has earned a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes and features standout performances from A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and breakout musician-actor Aiyana-Lee.

At the heart of the praise is the rap duel scene between Washington and A$AP Rocky — a raw, electrifying exchange Spike Lee described as “unscripted gold.” Critics hail the film as both a tribute to Kurosawa’s original and a gritty portrait of modern New York’s inequalities.

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From Script Limbo to Cinematic Reality

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Looking back, Berman reflects on the risk involved in taking on the project. “There was a lot of risk and a lot of money involved that could have just disappeared,” he says.

He credits A24 with backing his decision to bring in Alan Fox, “a young talent who had never had a screenplay produced before, and gave that talent a chance.” That move helped push “Highest 2 Lowest” past decades of stalled development and into production, reuniting Spike Lee and Denzel Washington on screen for the first time since 2006’s “Inside Man”.

“Highest 2 Lowest” is currently playing in limited theaters and will be available to stream on Apple TV+ starting September 5.