The Forgotten Project That Took 35 Years—How Spike Lee and Denzel Washington Resurrected Highest 2 Lowest Against All Odds

It has been called one of the longest-running “what ifs” in Hollywood history. Now, after 35 years of development limbo, Highest 2 Lowest — a modern reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 masterpiece High and Low — has finally made its way to theaters. The film’s improbable journey is a story of perseverance, creative faith, and the enduring partnership of two giants of American cinema: Spike Lee and Denzel Washington.

A Vision 35 Years in the Making

The seeds for Highest 2 Lowest were planted in 1990, when Hollywood first sought to adapt Kurosawa’s crime thriller for Western audiences. Over the decades, the project attracted an impressive roster of talent — from Martin Scorsese and Mike Nichols to Chris Rock and David Mamet. Disney’s Touchstone and Miramax even poured an estimated $10 million into development costs, but the elusive combination of the right script, director, and star never materialized.

By all accounts, Highest 2 Lowest seemed destined to remain one of cinema’s great “lost projects.”

That is, until Spike Lee and Denzel Washington stepped in.

Spike Lee’s Jazz-Like Vision

For Lee, whose films have consistently examined the intersections of race, class, and morality, reinterpreting Kurosawa’s classic was less about imitation than translation. He likened the process to a jazz musician reworking a standard: honoring the original while improvising a fresh interpretation.

Instead of Yokohama, Japan, Lee set the story in present-day New York City. The tale of a wealthy man confronted with an agonizing moral dilemma — whether to pay a ransom for someone else’s child — became, in Lee’s hands, a meditation on power, privilege, and humanity in America’s cultural capital.

Lee’s admiration for Kurosawa dates back to his NYU film school days, where the Japanese master’s influence loomed large. With Highest 2 Lowest, Lee both pays homage to his cinematic hero and stamps the story with his own fearless, socially engaged style.

Denzel Washington’s Leap of Faith

Washington’s involvement was equally crucial. By 2019, the rights to Kurosawa’s story had lapsed, but Washington’s agent, Andrew Finkelstein, recognized an opportunity. When a fresh script by first-time screenwriter Alan Fox reimagined the story within the world of New York’s music industry, Washington saw the potential.

The actor sent the script directly to Lee — a bold gesture of trust in their decades-long collaboration. For Washington, who has always chosen roles that carry weight and meaning, the decision reflected not just professional instinct but also a deep commitment to storytelling that challenges audiences.

His role as David King, a powerful music mogul whose wealth and influence are tested when he faces an unimaginable kidnapping crisis, promises one of his most nuanced performances to date.

Breaking Through With Collaboration

The breakthrough came through a blend of new blood and old partnerships. Producer Jason Michael Berman secured the rights for $150,000 and worked tirelessly with the Kurosawa estate for three years. Alan Fox, the unknown screenwriter, provided a fresh angle tailored to Washington’s strengths.

And then there was the reunion: Lee and Washington, teaming up for their fifth collaboration after Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man. Over 35 years, their partnership has become a cornerstone of American cinema, defined by mutual respect and a shared pursuit of excellence.

A Legacy Cemented

That Highest 2 Lowest exists at all is a triumph of persistence against Hollywood’s notoriously fickle machinery. That it comes from Lee and Washington makes it something greater: a cultural moment, a reminder of what happens when artistic vision refuses to fade.

Together, the director and actor have taken a project once considered doomed to obscurity and turned it into a film that resonates not only with Kurosawa’s timeless questions of morality but also with the urgent realities of modern life.

After 35 years of waiting, Highest 2 Lowest has arrived. And in doing so, it cements Spike Lee and Denzel Washington’s place as two of cinema’s most enduring storytellers — artists who refuse to give up on a vision, no matter how long it takes.

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