Spike Lee Confirms A$AP Rocky as Lead in Highest 2 Lowest

Spike Lee has officially announced that A$AP Rocky will take on “the main role” in Highest 2 Lowest, his highly anticipated film described as a “reinterpretation” of Akira Kurosawa’s classic High and Low.

Initial reports suggested that Rocky would portray a character named Yung Felon, but details about how his role influences the plot remain under wraps. Speaking to Deadline, Lee confirmed the rapper’s pivotal involvement in the project. Additionally, he revealed that rising star Ice Spice will also appear in the film, though specifics about her role have yet to be disclosed.

The film reimagines Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller, High and Low, but with a modern twist. In the original, Toshiro Mifune plays a shoemaker who becomes embroiled in an extortion plot when his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped. In Lee’s reinterpretation, Denzel Washington takes the lead as a powerful music mogul renowned for his impeccable ear and influential record label. This marks the fifth collaboration between Lee and Washington, a partnership the director affectionately refers to as his “dynamic duo.”

Kurosawa’s High and Low was itself inspired by Ed McBain’s 1959 novel King’s Ransom and is celebrated as one of the most iconic crime dramas in cinematic history. Lee’s modern adaptation, however, promises a fresh narrative lens while maintaining the emotional depth and moral complexity of its source material.

Highest 2 Lowest will be distributed theatrically by A24 before making its global debut on Apple TV+. The combination of Spike Lee’s visionary direction, Denzel Washington’s legendary presence, and A$AP Rocky’s lead role is already generating buzz, setting expectations sky-high for this reimagined classic.