Spike Lee’s English-language reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller of the same name is currently in production.
And on Friday, a pair of the film’s leads – Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright – were caught shooting a scene on the streets of New York City.
All the action seemed to revolve around a blue and silver car parked on the side of a street that caught Washington’s attention.
The two-time Academy Award winner, 69, looks dapper in a blue three-piece suit paired with a white shirt and tie, blue sneakers and cool dark sunglasses.
Finally, after taking a short walk to the car, the actor sits in the backseat for a chat with someone, who could be Wright, who was also shot in another scene as he got out of the front driver’s seat of that same vehicle .
Denzel Washington and Jeffrey Wright were spotted on the set of the new Spike Lee film High And Low on Friday filming a scene on the streets of New York City
High And Low is the 25th feature film of Spike Lee’s career, dating back to his student production Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983).
As Washington walks to the car with a big, beaming smile and empty hands, he reappears and steps out of the backseat with a large brown envelope in his hand.
It’s also easy to notice that he doesn’t have the same bright smile on his face when he gets out of the car.
On the busy day of filming, Wright also took action on the street, wearing a black tracksuit with a white T-shirt, black sneakers, a white beanie over his shaved head, while sporting a goatee.
The Basquiat star seemed all business during his scene where he seemingly hurriedly gets out of the passenger seat and then starts moving down the street.
The Washington, DC native was also spotted between takes, walking down the sidewalk with his phone in hand and appearing to mentally prepare for his next scene.
At one point, Wight showed an infectious smile as he walked down a block, apparently chatting on his phone.
Lee, 67, would appear at several points and express his thoughts on what he wants a particular shot to look like, wearing a blue jacket with off-white pants, white glasses and a New York Knicks cap over his short hair.
He also had headphones around his neck so he could play back the scenes they are working on today.
The shoot seemed to revolve around a blue and silver car parked on the side of a street
Washington flashed his infectious smile as he spoke to the person in the parked car
The actor appeared to laugh as he smiled before deciding to get into the vehicle
Although days on the film set are typically long after an eight-hour shift, Lee made sure to arrive in time for the Knicks’ game at Madison Square Garden against the Brooklyn Nets later that evening.
In fact, the acclaimed writer and director was said to be pictured wearing a peace sign and smiling as he was photographed in his courtside seat.
And he had reason to be happy when his beloved Knicks defeated Brooklyn, despite a series of injuries to star players, 111-107, behind Jalen Brunson’s 28 points and 11 assists.
Just two days earlier, Apple Original Films shared on X (formerly Twitter) a photo of Lee and Washington both flashing a “five” with their hands to signify that they are now working on their fifth film together.
The actor emerged from the car again with a large brown envelope in his hand
The two-time Oscar winner was coming off filming Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated epic historical drama Gladiator II, which premieres on November 22.
Wright’s scene involved the blue and silver car, in front of which he emerged from the driver’s seat
The Oscar-nominated actor slowly walked away from the car in another corner of the scene
The Basquiat actor smiled pleasantly between takes as he seemingly got into mode for the next task
‘No. 5 now in production,” read the caption of the April 10 post.
The duo previously worked on Inside Man (2006), Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992) and He Got Game (1998).
That means High And Low is the first film the pair have worked on together in about 26 years.
The film, directed by Lee, who is working from a screenplay he co-wrote with Alan Fox, will be released in theaters before entering the streaming world via Apple TV+.
In addition to Washington and Wright, the cast also includes Ilfenesh Hadera and Ice Spice.
Spike Lee attends the game between the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks on April 12 at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Spike Lee and Denzel Washington both showed a ‘five’ to indicate that they are now working on their fifth film, along with the start of High And Low in early March
Kurosawa’s original 1963 film starring Toshiro Mifune was based on the Ed McBain novel King’s Ransom, which tells the story of a businessman’s downfall after ransoming kidnappers.
The feature film is produced by Todd Black for Escape Artists and Jason Berman for Mandalay Pictures Variety.
Lee will also serve as executive producer through his 40 Acres And A Mule Filmworks, along with Peter Guber for Mandalay and Matthew Lindner, Chris Brigham and Katia Washington for Juniper Productions.
So far, there’s no official word on when exactly High And Low will premiere in theaters and the date it will debut on Apple TV+.
