Spike Lee and Denzel Washington reunite for crime drama remake

Spike Lee and Denzel Washington during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks in 2023. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting once again for their fifth film collaboration.

The two are making their own version of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime classic "High and Low."

The two first collaborated in 1990's "Mo' Better Blues," which starred Washington.

In 1992, they made the "Malcolm X" biopic, a role in which Washington was nominated for an Oscar.

They collaborated on "He Got Game" in 1999. Then in "Inside Man" in 2006, Washington played an NYPD detective who must negotiate a hostage situation with a bank robber played by Clive Owen.

Kurosawa's "High and Low" stars Toshiro Minfune as a wealthy businessman whose chauffeur's son is kidnapped and is based on Ed McBain's 1959 novel "King's Ransom."

Lee and Alan Fox will write the script for Lee's version. Lee also serves as executive producer.

The film will start shooting in March, and will be released in theaters before it streams on Apple TV+.