Apple TV Plus And A24 Drop Gripping Trailer for Highest 2 Lowest

Apple TV+ and A24 have just unveiled the first official trailer for Highest 2 Lowest, a slick, high-stakes crime thriller that reimagines Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic High and Low for the streets of modern-day New York City. Helmed by legendary director Spike Lee and headlined by Denzel Washington, the film promises a tense, stylish update to one of cinema’s most revered narratives.

In this reinterpretation, Washington stars as a titan of the music industry, a revered mogul known for having the “best ears in the business.” But when a chilling ransom plot puts him at the center of a life-or-death moral dilemma, the glittering world of fame and power collides with the gritty underbelly of the city — forcing him to confront choices that could cost him everything.

The powerhouse cast also includes Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice, Dean Winters, John Douglas Thompson, and Aubrey Joseph — a mix of industry veterans and rising stars, blending prestige with pop culture edge.

This marks the fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington, a duo known for crafting powerful, thought-provoking cinema. With Highest 2 Lowest, they tackle not only a Kurosawa classic, but also Evan Hunter’s original novel King’s Ransom — the foundation upon which the story of High and Low was built.

The screenplay, penned by Alan Fox, draws from both Hunter’s source material and the original script by Hideo Oguni, Ryûzô Kikushima, Eijirô Hisaita, and Kurosawa himself. With a genre-bending blend of noir, social commentary, and raw emotion, Highest 2 Lowest is set to resonate with both fans of classic cinema and a new generation seeking meaning in modern chaos.

Highest 2 Lowest is slated for release on August 15, 2025, exclusively on Apple TV+.