Denzel Washington and ASAP Rocky Star in First Teaser Trailer for Spike Lee's 'Highest 2 Lowest'

Spike Lee acknowledged the “hella long” wait when sharing the first teaser trailer for his latest film, Highest 2 Lowest, on Monday. The film, which Spike is taking to Cannes this month, stars Denzel Washington and ASAP Rocky.

See the teaser trailer above. Highest 2 Lowest hits theaters via A24 on Aug. 22. In September, the film will launch on Apple TV+. At just 51 seconds long, the teaser still manages to assure fans that Denzel and Spike have something special in store with their fifth feature together. At one point, Washington is heard asking, “Can you handle the mayhem?” after text on the screen runs down his and Spike’s past collaborations: Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, and Inside Man.

The film—also featuring Jeffrey Wright, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Ice Spice—centers on a music mogul, played by Washington, who is caught up in a ransom plot. The story is billed in press notes as a “reinterpretation” of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low, released in 1963.

In February, Spike was among those who celebrated Rocky’s acquittal in Los Angeles, with the Oscar-winning filmmaker thanking the judge and the jury in the closely followed case. When responding to news of the acquittal on Instagram, Lee made sure to let the world know that both Rocky and Denzel were “fire” in his new film.

For Spike, Highest 2 Lowest marks his first film since 2020’s Da 5 Bloods, released through Netflix. Spike and Denzel last worked together on the aforementioned Inside Man, which proved to be both a commercial and critical success upon its 2006 theatrical rollout.

Rocky has several film credits to his name, starting with a small part in Rick Famuyiwa’s Sundance-premiered 2015 coming-of-age dramedy Dope. Monday’s Highest 2 Lowest teaser trailer release coincides with Rocky’s co-chair status as part of the 2025 Met Gala. Joining Rocky are Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour. See here for more info.