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Denzel Washington and Spike Lee Are In ‘Familiar Territory’ as They Reunite for Their First Film In Almost 20 Years, ‘High and Low’

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The kinship shared between Denzel Washington and Spike Lee is reuniting the entertainers for the first time in 18 years for a new AppleTV+ film. Lee is slated to direct the American adaptation of Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 movie, “High and Low,” which is based on author Ed McBain’s novel “King’s Ransom.”

Lee also serves as co-writer of the reimagined “High and Low,” though details about the role Denzel will portray have not been revealed. The plot, in short, deals with a businessman’s financial ruin after paying a kidnappers’ ransom.

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for first film in nearly 20 years.
Denzel Washington and Spike Lee reunite for first film in nearly 20 years. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images; Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The New York natives, Lee from Brooklyn and Denzel hailing from Mount Vernon, have a proven record of making cinematic magic, but it’s their bond when cameras are not rolling that has made it a no-brainer that they reunite professionally.

When the two men first crossed paths, Denzel was already an Academy Award winner, having won for his role as a Civil War soldier in “Glory” in 1989. A year later, he made his debut in a Spike Lee Joint when he was cast as the lead in “Mo’ Better Blues.” They would go on to make three more films into the early 2000s.

“That’s the first time (‘Mo Better Blues’) working with the greatest actor today, Denzel Washington. … So we’re looking at what the fifth one will be,” said Lee in 2017, proving that the absence of their shared dynamic has only been contingent upon finding the perfect project.

The blockbuster actor has credited his friend with being the first director to give him the space to explore all angles of his craft. “I started improvising with Spike 17 years ago on ‘Mo’ Better Blues.’ That’s the first time I can remember just fooling around and setting the scenario. It was a scene…where we were just coming off stage, and I sort of get in an argument with Wesley Snipes’ character. That’s one of the first times I can remember, OK let’s improvise,” Denzel recalled in a 2006 interview with film writer Wilson Morales.

He would go on to note that when presented with the opportunity to be No. 1 on the call sheet for the Morehouse alum’s 2006 project “Inside Man,” saying “yes” was as simple as answering the call, literally. “He called me up. I read it and said, ‘Yes.’ It’s as simple as that. …Yeah, we just go. It is a shorthand. I like working with Spike. It’s familiar territory,” said Denzel.

That admiration and professional reverence go both ways. Lee sang his friend’s praises when he presented him with the 47th AFI Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. “Denzel, for me, represents our Black manhood,” Lee said of his frequent collaborator.

While anticipation for what they will create with “High and Low” builds, here is a look back at the movie success the men have already achieved together.

Mo’ Better Blues (1990)

Spike Lee reportedly had Denzel in mind when he penned the screenplay for the erotic drama. Then, still a burgeoning film star, the actor took on the role of trumpeter Bleek Gilliam, who was just as enamored with music as he was with women.

Malcolm X (1992)

The most Oscar-nominated actor was recognized as a Best Actor contender at the 1993 Academy Awards. He portrayed the activist.

He Got Game (1998)

Denzel played convicted killer Jake Shuttlesworth and the father of highly sought-after high school basketball player Jesus Shuttlesworth, played by former NBA star Ray Allen.

Inside Man (2006)

In the crime-thriller, the Hollywood luminary played Detective Keith Frazier, an NYPD hostage negotiator trying to crack the case of a bank heist.

Denzel-Lee fandom may already be fueling speculation that “High and Low” will finally pair the veteran actor with his son, John David Washington. The “Tenet” star has been steadfast about making a name for himself outside of his famous father’s shadow with roles such as in “Malcolm & Marie.”

“That’s my son; I love my boy, and I’m just happy he’s his own man, he’s independent,” Denzel told People in 2018. “He’s really good at what he does, and the fact that he’s been fighting to make his own mark, he didn’t want any help from me. I didn’t help him get onto ‘Ballers’ or anything like that.”

The former Morehouse College running back played “the role of a lifetime” when he starred in Lee’s 2018 flick “BlacKkKlansman.” He previously worked with the filmmaker when he made a cameo in “Malcom X.”

Four years ago, John hinted that he would be open to sharing the screen with his father if a “certain somebody” took on the task of directing. At the time, he was doing a press run with director Christopher Nolan, who shared that he had already been asked about working with the actors as a father-son duo. Denzel has previously stated he would love to work with Nolan, too.

If Lee does not beat the “Oppenheimer” director to making that pairing, fans can at least hold out hope that Nolan may have a shot at getting the job done.

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