Seems Spike Lee is trying anyplace and all over the place for inspiration…together with your memes. The auteur stated throughout Carmelo Anthony’s Wave Unique “7PM in Brooklyn” podcast that he forged rapper/musician A$AP Rocky in characteristic “Highest 2 Lowest” after individuals on-line drew a comparability between A$AP and Lee’s frequent collaborator Denzel Washington.
In response to Lee, he considered A$AP to then play Washington’s onscreen son within the reinterpretation of Akira Kurosawa’s “Excessive and Low.”
“What’s humorous is that I used to be Instagram 4 or 5 years in the past and folks had been saying that A$AP regarded like he’s Denzel’s son,” Lee stated. “I seen these memes after which within the movie we used that.”
The primary look of “Highest 2 Lowest” has lead actor A$AP in a jail jumpsuit. A$AP stars as Yung Felon, the lead character within the movie, alongside Washington, Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Ice Spice. The plot particulars for Lee’s Cannes-bound “Highest 2 Lowest” stay underneath wraps; nevertheless, Lee beforehand informed Deadline that Washington will play a music mogul.
A$AP, whose actual identify is Rakim Mayers, made his performing debut in 2015 coming-of-age movie “Dope.” He went on to seem in “Zoolander 2” (2016) and in a brief movie along with his romantic associate Rihanna. Now, the rapper is staking his declare within the indie-film recreation: A$AP stars in two A24 options out this yr: Sundance hit “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.”
“A$AP, man, he hearth,” Lee teased of A$AP’s performing. “I imply, there’s some scenes the place him and D face to face – he ain’t backing up. Like, ‘I’m right here too.’ So very, very pleased with the way in which the movie turned out and searching ahead to sharing it with the world.”
Lee reunites with longtime collaborator Washington for his or her fifth movie collectively. The duo beforehand collaborated on “Inside Man,” “Mo’ Higher Blues,” “Malcolm X,” and “He Bought Recreation.”
“Denzel’s an actor — if I see one thing, I’m going to go as much as him, however more often than not I’m not going to love Denzel, ‘da da da’ — plus he wouldn’t let me try this anyway,” Lee stated. “The stuff now we have to do is completed in rehearsal the place they learn via the script and now we have the person rehearsals with the actors, that’s the place we do the work. However as soon as we’re on set, we’re going. That’s the vital half and that we make it possible for we’re each on the identical web page, and if we’re not, we work that shit out earlier than.”
Lee beforehand shared that he screened “Highest 2 Lowest” for Martin Scorsese and wrote that Scorsese “gushed about Denzel’s magnificent performing,” including that Scorsese was “so pleased” for Lee.
“Highest 2 Lowest” is an Apple Unique characteristic in partnership with A24, which plans to launch the movie theatrically earlier than it streams on Apple TV+. Alan Fox wrote the screenplay for “Highest 2 Lowest” with director Lee, who will govt produce via his 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks banner.