Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest' to debut in Out Of Competition section at Cannes

Taking to his Instagram handle, he wrote, "Bon Jour. Good Morning. Whaddup Da New SPIKE LEE JOINT-HIGHEST 2 LOWEST Starring My Brother DENZEL WASHINGTON Has Been Invited To Da 2025 CANNES INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (In The Out Of Competition Category). AND DAT'S DA BOTTLES OF TRUTH,RUTH. YA-DIG SHO-NUFF."

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIQ85DpuMuO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

The caption was attached to a picture of Highest 2 Lowest production merch, which had the custom stitching: 'Highest 2 Lowest 2 Cannes', reported Deadline.

The festival confirmed the film's addition in a statement.

"The film was not announced this morning due to one final piece of information we were awaiting -- the confirmation of Denzel Washington's presence at Cannes. Highest 2 Lowest, directed by Spike Lee, will indeed be presented as part of the Official Selection, Out of Competition, and will be screened, in the presence of Denzel Washington, on Monday, May 19, 2025," the statement read, as per the outlet.

While talking about the film at the Red Sea Film Festival in 2024, Lee said Highest 2 Lowest was not a remake but a "reinterpretation" of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller High and Low. The film stars Denzel Washington in his fifth collaboration with Lee. The duo previously worked together on Mo' Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man.

Kurosawa's original film follows an executive at a Yokohama shoe company who becomes a victim of extortion when his chauffeur's son is kidnapped by mistake and held for ransom, reported Deadline.

"In Kurosawa's film, Toshiro Mifune is a shoemaker," said Lee. "In our film, Denzel Washington is a music mogul with his own label and his reputation as the best ears in the business. So, this is the fifth film with the dynamic duo."

Other films set for Cannes include Wes Anderson's latest flick The Phoenician Scheme, Richard Linklater will launch his Paris-shot Nouvelle Vague, Jochim Trier debuts his latest feature Sentimental Value, and former Palme d'Or winner Julie Ducournau returns with Alpha. This year's festival runs May 13 -- 24, reported Deadline.