ASAP Rocky To Star In Spike Lee’s Next Film With Denzel Washington

A$AP Rocky has been tapped to star in Spike Lee’s next joint. IndieWire reports that the Harlmeite is set to star in Highest 2 Lowest, which also stars Denzel Washington. The legendary director later confirmed to Deadline that Rocky would star in the lead role, playing a character named Yung Felon in the Apple Original and A24 film. Ice Spice was previously announced as an addition to the movie back in April.

Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest will be a reimagining or reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa crime thriller, High and Low. High and Low was initially based on Evan Hunter’s (Ed McBain) 1959 novel, King’s Ransom. Kurosawa’s High and Low follows an executive whose son is mistakenly kidnapped, leading to an extortion plot. While fans speculated whether Lee’s movie would follow the same premise, Spike Lee has stressed that this film is not a remake, so fans shouldn’t expect the same product.

“This is not a remake, this is a reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s great film,” Lee said in a recent interview. “In Kurosawa’s film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker. In our film Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business.”

A$AP isn’t new to acting, as he first hit the screen in 2015 with the coming-of-age story, Dope. He then appeared in 2016’s Zoolander 2, took a couple years off, and appeared in 2024’s Born to Steal: Yours, Mine, Ours— a short film by Rihanna.

As for the dream team, Spike Lee and Denzel Washington last worked together for 2006’s Inside Man. But their track record is impeccable, creating films such as Malcolm X, Mo’ Better Blues, and He Got Game. Highest 2 Lowest will be the pair’s fifth film together.

Highest 2 Lowest will hit theaters next summer before the film heads to Apple TV+ for a global release.