High and Low: Jeffrey Wright Joins Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s Remake

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High and Low: Jeffrey Wright Joins Denzel Washington in Spike Lee’s Remake

Jeffrey Wright has been cast in Spike Lee’s remake of High and Low.

Per Variety, Wright is joining Denzel Washington in Lee’s new movie, which is described as a “reimagining” of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, which was released in 1963.

Lee co-wrote for the movie the script with Alan Fox. The movie is expected to begin filming later this month.

Wright recently earned an Oscar nomination for playing Thelonious “Monk” Ellison in 2023’s American Fiction, which was directed by Cord Jefferson. He’s also known for starring in 2005’s Broken Flowers, 2006’s Casino Royale, 2018’s Game Night, 2021’s The French Dispatch, and 2022’s The Batman, among other titles. He additionally played Beetee in The Hunger Games franchise, Bernard Lowe in HBO’s Westworld, and voices The Watcher in Marvel’s What If…?

Wright and Washington previously starred together in 2004’s The Manchurian Candidate, the Jonathan Demme-directed remake of the 1962 film of the same name.

What else do we know about Spike Lee’s High and Low?

In addition to Washington and Wright, the new High and Low movie stars Ilfenesh Hadera, who previously appeared in Lee’s Oldboy remake from 2013.

Todd Black and Jason Michael Berman are producing the movie, while Lee, Peter Guber, Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham, and Katia Washington serve as executive producers. Jordan Moldo is co-producing.

“Toshiro Mifune stars as a wealthy industrialist whose family becomes the target of a ruthless kidnapper in Akira Kurosawa’s exemplary film noir,” the synopsis for the 1963 movie reads. “Based on Ed McBain’s detective novel King’s Ransom, High and Low is both a riveting thriller and a brilliant commentary on contemporary Japanese society.

Lee’s High and Low, which does not yet have a release date, is being released in theaters by A24 before it goes to Apple TV+.