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The new streaming original movie is a reimagining of a Kurosawa classic.

When Spike Lee and Denzel Washington get together, magic is usually made. The pair that brought “Malcolm X” to life is reuniting for “Highest 2 Lowest,” a new streaming-original film debuting on Apple TV+ later this year. If the pairing of Lee and Washington alone wasn’t enough to get you excited for its release, we’ll give you more details about the film below.

Everything you need to know about ‘Highest 2 Lowest’

When does ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ come out?

What is ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ About?

Who stars in ‘Highest 2 Lowest’?

Is ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ based on another movie?

What are critics saying about ‘Highest 2 Lowest’?

Watch a trailer for ‘Highest 2 Lowest’

Will you be able to stream ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ for free?

7-Day Free Trial $9.99+ / month apple.com When does ‘Highest 2 Lowest’ come out?

“Highest 2 Lowest...

Spike Lee’s stop on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon has reignited hype for Highest 2 Lowest, the director’s neo-noir remake of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low. During the July 31 interview Lee declared that A$AP Rocky “goes toe-to-toe” with two-time Oscar-winner Denzel Washington and “never flinches,” a remark that quickly spread across social feeds and industry wires. The film arrives in U.S. cinemas on August 22 via A24 and lands on Apple TV+ just two weeks later on September 5, a release pattern analysts call a key test of the studio-streamer partnership.

Lee said internet memes comparing the Harlem rapper to a young Washington helped inspire the casting, adding that the resemblance underscores the father-son tension driving the story. Rocky plays Yung Felony, an ambitious lyricist, opposite Washington’s record-label titan, Stackin Hits CEO Cyrus King, in a Manhattan ransom plot lifted from Ed McBain’s novel King’s Ransom.

Idris Elba was having a 40-degree day when first reading his character Stringer Bell’s death scene on “The Wire.” The acclaimed HBO series spanned five seasons between 2002 and 2008; Elba’s drug kingpin Stringer was killed in the Season 3 finale in 2004 by Omar (the late Michael K. Williams) and Brother Mouzone (Michael Potts).

“I had reservations about how Stringer was dying,” Elba recently said during Amy Poehler’s “Good Hang” podcast (in the below video). “There was various ways that [series creator] David Simon wanted to depict that, and I was a little bit against some of that. But the actual beheading of Stringer was an important move, you know? Just to illustrate to the world that, ‘Hey, man, take the blinkers off.'”

The real-life inspiration for Stringer didn’t meet the same fate (thankfully). “The Wire” is famously based off of former crime journalist Simon’s reporting across Baltimore. Simon...

Exclusive: Mark Feuerstein has joined the cast of Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole’s new Netflix series, Nemesis, in a recurring role.

He will not return as Steven Ott from the Power franchise, which Kemp created; instead, he will play Sam Morrow, a high-powered attorney and total shark willing to toe the ethical line in the name of protecting his clients. Steven and Sam may not be the same guy, but they certainly have some things in common.

Feuerstein is the second Power star to join Nemesis, following Shane Johnson’s casting in April. It’s as yet unknown if Johnson and Feuerstein may share any scenes.

Nemesis is the story of two men on either side of the law, the tale of what happens when an unstoppable force, expert criminal Coltrane Wilder (Y’lan Noel), meets an immovable object, brilliant police detective Isaiah Stiles (Matthew Law...

Spike Lee threw some shade at Donald Trump during the Cannes Film Festival press conference for his latest joint “Highest 2 Lowest.” When asked about if social media has jeopardized morals in America, Lee replied: “I don’t know how much we can talk about American values considering who is the president.”

He continued: “My wife said, ‘Spike, be very careful what you say!’ But here’s the thing, I don’t think we can condemn social media. People say the same thing about film or whatever. So I’m not going to demonize the form.”

Later on, when asked more directly about Trump’s proposed tariffs on foreign-made films, Lee said he “doesn’t have the answer for that” but acknowledged that “people are hurting.”

“No one’s working,” Lee said. “The guy just said he wanted to put a tariff on every film that shot… I don’t...

Rihanna made a surprise appearance at Cannes Film Festival, walking the red carpet at the Palais to support her partner A$AP Rocky at the premiere of “Highest 2 Lowest.” After Spike Lee’s latest joint debuted to a 5.5-minute standing ovation, Rihanna and Rocky posed for photos in the rain as the singer’s 2016 hit “Work” played.

The singer and businesswoman wore a sky-blue Alaïa dress to accompany Rocky, who stars alongside Denzel Washington in “Highest 2 Lowest.” Rihanna is pregnant with her and Rocky’s third child, which she revealed at the Met Gala earlier in May. The two are already parents to two sons: RZA, 3, and Riot, 20 months.

In Variety‘s Cannes cover story, Rocky discussed being in a power couple with Rihanna, who recently released a new song for the upcoming “Smurfs” movie in which she’s playing Smurfette. “We both got movies coming out the same year,...

Denzel Washington, Spike Lee and A$AP Rocky brought New York City to Cannes for the world premiere of their neo-noir crime thriller “Highest 2 Lowest,” which earned a five and a half-minute standing ovation. Rihanna also drew plenty of attention as she sat with A$AP Rocky during the screening.

Lee, who always dons a talked-about red carpet look, wore an orange and blue-striped suit and jacket and matching hat to the premiere as an homage to his beloved New York Knicks. Washington, in a more traditional suit, jacket and tie, spent extra time on the Croisette, slapping hands with fans like a professional athlete on game day.

Before the premiere, Lee presented Washington with an honorary Palme d’Or, calling the actor “my brother from another mother.”

Plenty of stars who do not appear in the film were on hand. Jason Momoa walked the carpet with his girlfriend,...

A single card credit at the end of Spike Lee’s hugely entertaining crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest reads: “Inspired by the master, Akira Kurosawa.” That tribute feels not in the least like someone paying lip service. Reinterpreting the giant of Japanese cinema’s 1963 classic, High and Low, a tense police procedural with a sharp dissection of social class structures, Lee and screenwriter Alan Fox handle the material with the utmost care and respect. At the same time, they transpose the narrative spine to an environment Lee knows intimately, allowing the director to make the film his own, with wit, high style and kinetic energy to burn.

Highest 2 Lowest is Lee’s first feature set and shot in New York since 2012’s Red Hook Summer, and that absence seems to have reignited his love for the city as a visual playground in ways that vibrate throughout.

That impression is planted instantly...

Denzel Washington received a surprise Palme d’Or at Monday night’s world premiere of Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest in Cannes.

The Oscar-winning actor, attending the festival for the first time in his career, sat through a montage of his credits cued up by festival head Thierry Fremaux prior to the screening.

Lee then took to the stage to present the award to his longtime collaborator, with whom he has worked on five films dating back to Mo’ Better Blues in 1990.

Their fifth collaboration screened out of competition and is a New York-set reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic...

Denzel Washington received a surprise Palme d’Or at the world premiere of Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest in Cannes on Monday evening.

The Oscar-winning actor, attending Cannes for the first time in his career, sat through a montage of his credits cued up festival head Thierry Fremaux prior to the screening, before Lee took to the stage to present the award.

Lee and Washington reunite in their fifth collaboration on the out-of-competition New York-set reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classicHigh And Low.

The story follows a music mogul who gets entangled in a ransom plot.

The cast includes Jeffrey Wright,...

Denzel Washington got a career-defining surprise at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival when he was awarded an honorary Palme d’Or at the world premiere of his latest film, Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” The two-time Oscar winner was already having a historic festival, considering this is the first time Washington has attended Cannes in his 50-year acting career.

Ahead of the screening of Lee’s latest movie, Cannes festival director Thierry Fremaux introduced a montage of Washington’s films — including “Malcolm X” and “Mo Better Blues,” both directed by Lee — as well as his Oscar-winning performances in “Glory” and “Training Day.” Lee then presented the actor-director with the honorary Palme d’Or.

Lee was on stage for the special moment and handed off the Palme d’O trophy to Denzel while calling the actor “my brother from another mother.” Washington said that the honor was a complete surprise.

Directed by Lee,...

The first trailer has been released for Highest 2 Lowest. Directed by Spike Lee, this movie is an English-language remake of Akira Kurosawa's High and Low. Highest 2 Lowest is about a music mogul who becomes the subject of a ransom plot, facing moral dilemmas along the way. The movie transports Kurosawa's story to New York City. The film features a cast including Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, A$AP Rocky, Ice Spice, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Michael Potts.

Now, A24 has released a trailer for Highest 2 Lowest. The trailer begins with an artistic rendering of the Brooklyn Bridge, while Washington speaks in voiceover. The trailer then shows Washington's character at work, in his music career, as he speaks about how "the hard times will come from the good times, the hard times will come from success." He asks someone off-screen, presumably a client, "Can you handle all that?"

What This...

If it’s food you want, it’s food that Gordon Ramsay is going to give you: the very best of it. This time, the master chef is going full CIA on struggling restaurants.

Like he’d be so stealthy they won’t even know they’re being filmed. Can anyone make food any more interesting than this? Uhh… I think not.

Gordon Ramsay New TV Show ‘Secret Service’ To Debut Next Month

Gordon Ramsay is going undercover, and for a good and worthy cause. The prolific reality TV show master is coming back with a brand new one for Fox, titled ‘Gordon Ramsay’s Secret Service.’

Premiering this coming May 21, the new show will become the sixth Ramsay show to be airing on the network.

The show’s description reads, “With the help of a secret source on the inside, he’ll gather raw, unfiltered evidence and get a 360-degree...

Spike Lee has said his upcoming feature Highest 2 Lowest will premiere Out of Competition at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (May 13-24).

The crime drama, which stars Denzel Washington, was not announced during the press conference earlier today (April 10), but Lee confirmed the news on his Instagram shortly after.

“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)”, the caption read.

Highest 2 Lowest is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 crime thriller. A24 is producing alongside Escape Artists and Mandalay Pictures.

Exclusive: Netflix new crime drama Nemesis has cast its recurring cast with eight actors: Moe Irvin (Ahsoka), Stephanie Sigman (Narcos), Quincy Isaiah (Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty), Jay Reeves (6888), Mike O’Malley (Heels), Khalilah Joi (Mayor of Kingstown), Shane Johnson (Power) and Siua Ikale’o (Chief of War).

The crime drama created by Courtney A. Kemp and Tani Marole is described as an action heist series in the vein of Power set in L.A., where the new series will film.

The project will reunite Kemp with Johnson, who played FBI Agent and attorney Cooper Saxe in the mothership series and its first spinoff, Power Book II: Ghost, both created by Kemp. He will bring to life the new character of Harvey in Nemesis.

Irvin plays Amos “Nightmare” Stiles, Isaiah plays Gideon “Deon” Davis, Reeves plays Jamel Brinkley, O’Malley plays Detective Rick Viggiano, Sigman plays Detective Nicolette Harper, Joi...

Exclusive: Sophina Brown, Jeff Pierre and Cedric Joe round out the series regular cast of Nemesis, a crime drama created by Courtney A. Kemp (“Power” Universe) and Tani Marole described as an action heist series in the vein of Power set in L.A. where the new series will film.

Brown will play ‘Charlie,’ Pierre will play ‘Malik Jacobs,’ and Joe will play ‘Noah Stiles.’ They join the previously announced cast of Matthew Law, Y’Ian Noel, Cleopatra Coleman, Tre Hale, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jonnie Park, Ariana Guerra, Gabrielle Dennis and Michael Potts.

Nemesis is the story of two men on either side of the law, the tale of what happens when an unstoppable force (an expert criminal), Coltrane Wilder (Noel), meets an immovable object (a brilliant police detective), Isaiah Stiles (Law). What starts as a series that...

Reasonable Doubt is getting a major dose of power.

Joseph Sikora, who plays Tommy Egan in the Power universe, has joined the Hulu/Onyx Collective drama as a series regular for Season 3, our sister site Variety reports.

More from TVLineNcuti Gatwa Bids Doctor Who Farewell as Finale Ends With a Most Surprising Twist - Grade It!Lester Holt Signs Off as NBC Nightly News Anchor - Will You Miss Him?Liev Schreiber, Stephen Graham and Zazie Beetz to Star in Apple TV+ Adaptation of Lars Kepler's Joona Linna Crime Novels

The actor will play Bill Sterling, who is Jax...

Exclusive: Gabrielle Dennis (The Big Door Prize) and Michael Potts (The Piano Lesson) have joined the cast of Nemesis, a crime drama created by Courtney A. Kemp (“Power” Universe) and Tani Marole described as an action heist series in the vein of Power set in LA where the new series will film.

In series regular roles, Dennis will play ‘Candace Stiles’ and Potts will play ‘James Sealey.’

They join the previously announced cast of Matthew Law, Y’Ian Noel, Cleopatra Coleman, Tre Hale, Domenick Lombardozzi, Jonnie Park and Ariana Guerra.

Nemesis is the story of two men on either side of the law, the tale of what happens when an unstoppable force (an expert criminal), Coltrane Wilder (Noel), meets an immovable object (a brilliant police detective), Isaiah Stiles (Law). What starts as a series that aims to subvert the heist genre at every turn, amped with thrilling life-or-death stakes, family dynamics and explosive action,...

Once considered the most disreputable of screen genres, horror has become so pervasive and popular that it’s not unusual now to see a movie presenting itself as such simply for the sake of commercial insurance. That seems the case with “Rounding,” a well-acted and atmospheric psychological thriller with Namir Smallwood as a medical resident who unravels in his new hospital placement. It’s got enough going on that the shoehorning of horror elements — including an eventual monster — feels gratuitous within a tricky narrative already over-compressed into an hour and a half.

Alex Thompson’s sophomore feature was actually made before last year’s acclaimed “Ghostlight,” though it’s only getting released well after a 2022 Tribeca Festival premiere. Doppelganger is distributing to U.S. theaters and on-demand platforms as of Feb. 14.

Working here sans his usual directing and writing partner Kelly O’Sullivan (though she plays a supporting role), Thompson establishes...

Alex Thompson’s thriller Rounding doesn’t lack for details. Early on, after medical resident James (Namir Smallwood) shuffles between hospital rooms in burgundy scrubs, he releases his nervous energy by jogging through a blanket of snow, making the name of the rural town in which the story is set, Greenville, feel like a knowing joke. When he arrives home, it’s to a cramped basement apartment where the sounds of the upstairs neighbors echo through the ceiling. Would that Rounding’s story were as memorable as those details.

Rounding’s rudderless screenplay, which Thompson co-wrote with his brother Christopher Thompson, casts out in several directions at once, as though hoping that one of them will have a substantial impact on the viewer. James has transferred to Greenville after a breakdown, hoping the rural change of scenery can allow him to get his groove back. But complicating matters is that...

Yes, we’re still in the warming glow of award season, but new movies never stop. Happily there are exciting new films to check out this February, including Cannes winners, cryptocurrency heists, cute little furry creatures, and some psychedelic horror.

Armand

When You Can Watch: February 7

Where You Can Watch: Theaters (Limited)

Director: Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel

Cast: Renate Reinsve, Ellen Dorrit Petersen, Øystein Røger

Why We’re Excited: This Norwegian psychological drama premiered at Cannes, earning a Caméra d’Or for first-time feature director Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel (grandson of Ingmar Bergman), pegged as one of ten European filmmakers to watch in 2015 by European Film Promotion. The story was inspired by the character of Elisabeth, Armand’s mother (Reinsve from The Worst Person in the World), who is called into school when her six-year-old threatens his classmate. The confrontation and ensuing revelations invite reflection on the way we form opinions about...

Jesse L. Martin as Alec Mercer and Travina Springer as Kylie in ‘The Irrational’ season 2 episode 9 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC)

NBC’s The Irrational season two continues with episode nine, “Another Man’s Treasure,” which involves a museum heist. Episode nine will air on Tuesday, January 14, 2025 at 10pm Et/Pt.

Jesse L. Martin leads the cast as Alec Mercer. Season two also stars Maahra Hill as Marisa, Travina Springer as Kylie, Molly Kunz as Phoebe, and Arash DeMaxi as Rizwan.

“Another Man’s Treasure” Plot: Alec and Marisa investigate a museum heist, and a curator and his son might hold the key. The case raises ethical questions about the controversial practice of buying and selling cultural artifacts, which brings back old memories for Marisa. Michael Pitts, Anjali Khurana, Michelle Harrison, and Rosemary Jean guest star.

Michael Potts as Nnamdi Obasi in season 2 episode 9 (Photo by: Sergei Bachlakov/NBC) The Irrational Series Description,...

Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s deeply moving drama Ghostlight made a splash last year following its Sundance Film Festival premiere and subsequent summer release. Now, one of Thompson’s prior features, the psychological thriller Rounding, which premiered back at Tribeca Festival in 2022, is now finally getting a release next month. Led by Namir Smallwood, Michael Potts, and Never Rarely Sometimes Always star Sidney Flanigan, the new trailer has now arrived ahead of a February 14 theatrical and digital release.

Here’s the synopsis: “After a traumatic incident during his residency, young medical student James Hayman (Namir Smallwood) transfers to a rural hospital for a fresh start. Observing that James is struggling and having difficulty connecting with patients, Dr. Harrison (veteran stage and screen actor Michael Potts) suggests he take a class focused on bedside manner and facilitating deeper relationships with patients. The demons of James’s past begin to catch...

"There's something off... it just doesn't quite add up.." Doppelgänger Releasing has unveiled a new official trailer for an indie horror film called Rounding, which is finally getting a small theatrical + VOD release starting in February 2025. This one first premiered in 2022 at the Tribeca Film Festival and despite a solid festival run, it was never released. In the meantime, director Alex Thompson went on to make Ghostlight which was a big hit from last year's Sundance. After a traumatic incident, a driven young medical resident named Dr. James Hayman transfers to a rural hospital for a fresh start, but the demons of his past start to catch up to him when he becomes consumed by the case of a patient with mysterious symptoms. Described as a "humanist and unconventional genre vision." The film stars Namir Smallwood as Dr. Hayman, with Sidney Flanigan, Michael Potts, Rebecca Spence. This trailer gets really...

“Ghostlight” and “Saint Frances” writer/director Alex Thompson is back onscreen with another festival hit: “Rounding.”

Thompson’s latest psychological thriller stars “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” breakout Sidney Flanigan as an asthma patient who starts to experience mysterious symptoms. Her stay at the hospital intersects with the arrival of young medical student James Hayman (Namir Smallwood), who previously endured a traumatic incident during his residency before transferring to a rural hospital for a fresh start.

Per the official synopsis, “the demons of James’ past begin to catch up with him when he becomes consumed by the case, and his grip on reality starts to slip as his disturbing nightmares, anxiety-fueled speculations, and physical injuries collide with the harsh realities of the world of medicine.”

Michael Potts and Rebecca Spence also star.

“Rounding” premiered at Tribeca 2022, and went on to screen at Rooftop and the Chicago International Film Festival. The film...

John David Washington found himself in a rare situation while promoting his latest film, Netflix’s “The Piano Lesson.” It was his first real press tour in a while, since the rollout for his previous few films (including Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” and Gareth Edwards’ “The Creator”) were impacted by the Covid pandemic, then the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

“It was a relief to be able to do it like you’re supposed to, as far as getting with the people, right after they see it in the theater, and talking,” Washington says. And after one screening in Paris, his parents — actors Denzel and Pauletta Washington — joined him onstage for the Q&a. “I never thought that I’d be on the same stage with my old man talking about a film that we’re a part of — not in my wildest dreams.”

But, if it was going to happen,...

Things between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may have come to a screeching halt in 2016, but the former couple continue to battle it out in the courtroom, from custody arrangements to their joint French winery Chateau Miraval.

However, despite their years of continuance, these court battles are yet to become bearable to Jolie and, according to a source, they still stress her out. And in a year that’s seen her return to acting in a big way, it’s especially taken a toll on her mentally.

Insider Claims Legal Battle With Brad Pitt Is Testing Her Patience

Pitt, 60, and Jolie, 49, are currently locked in a legal dispute over the latter’s sale of her stake in their French winery to Russian oligarch Yuri Shefler.

The ongoing court battle is said to be making Jolie so edgy she’s started taking out her anger on staff. “She’s always been a fiery,...

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the scripts behind the awards season’s buzziest movies continues with Netflix’s The Piano Lesson, the adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson play that was directed by Malcolm Washington in his feature-helming debut. Washington co-wrote the script with Virgil Williams, the Oscar-nominated so-screenwriter of 2017’s Mudbound.

The film, which features a stellar ensemble including Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins, had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. It hit theaters in early November and began streaming on Netflix on November 22, and has since picked up a Best First Feature Spirit Awards nomination for Malcolm Washington and several supporting actress noms for Deadwyler.

Malcolm and Williams teamed to work on the script to get to the root of Wilson’s play, the latest in the playwright’s Century Cycle series to be adapted to the screen.

In Piano Lesson, the story is set in the 1930s and revolves around the Charles family’s prized heirloom piano. One brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it, while one sister (Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Their uncle (Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.

Deadline Related Video:

“Every family has a history, stories from the past that inform the present; an origin story,” Malcolm Washington says. “Ultimately this story is much bigger than me and my family — it, like the Black American experience, is an inter-connected web of stories that span space and time.”

In addition to Mudbound, Williams, the longtime Criminal Minds writer-producer, previously teamed with Denzel Washington, co-writing the Washington-directed 2021 drama A Journal For Jordan starring Michael B. Jordan and Chanté Adams.

Check out Malcolm Washington and Williams’ A Piano Lesson script below.

For Ray Fisher, “The Piano Lesson” was more than just a role — it was a personal and professional milestone, an opportunity to explore the layers of humanity, trauma, and family that have made Wilson’s artful pieces timeless.

“August Wilson has this ability to tap into humanity itself,” Fisher says during this week’s episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. “Even though he wrote this play in the 1980s about the 1930s, it feels like it’s speaking directly to us today. The family dynamics, the trauma, the way people are trying to figure out the path forward — it’s universal.” Listen below!

Directed by Malcolm Washington and featuring a powerhouse cast including John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler and Samuel L. Jackson, “The Piano Lesson” reimagines Wilson’s words with a sense of urgency that resonates deeply in today’s climate.

“The Piano Lesson” brings cinematic life to Wilson’s stage-bound text,...

A Different Man Photo: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

The first big awards event of the season was held in New York last night, with Aaron Schimberg's transformative tale A Different Man taking top prize. Sing Sing and Nickel Boys each won two awards, putting them in good position for the race to come. There was a special tribute award for Angelina Jolie for her performance as opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larrain’s upcoming film Maria.

Zendaya received the Spotlight Tribute for her work in Luca Guadagnino's tennis-themed Challengers, while Timothée Chalamet and James Mangold received the Visionary Tribute for their collaboration on Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown. Denis Villeneuve received The Gotham Director Tribute for Dune: Part Two, and the Ensemble Tribute went to the cast of The Piano Lesson, including Samuel L Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Potts, Corey Hawkins,...

The stars are kicking off awards season in New York City!

Zendaya, Sebastian Stan, Angelina Jolie, Colman Domingo, and Nicole Kidman stepped out for the 2024 The Gothams Film Awards on Monday evening (December 2) held at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

39 feature films and 25 performances are nominated in 10 categories for outstanding and breakthrough performances, films, director, and screenplay.

The event is also honoring Zendaya with The Gothams Spotlight Tribute, Angelina with the Performer Tribute, Timothee Chalamet & James Mangold with the Visionary Tribute, the cast of Sing Sing with the Social Justice Tribute, Denis Villeneuve with the Director Tribute and the cast of The Piano Lesson with the Ensemble Tribute.

We have now compiled photos of the stars in attendance so that you can see what everyone wore!

Keep reading to find out more…Keep scrolling to see the stars in attendance…

Adam Pearson

Fyi: Adam is wearing a Dior suit.

When John David Washington, the star of features like Tenet, Monsters and Men, and BlacKkKlansman logs onto our Zoom call from Los Angeles, I’m first struck by his t-shirt. He’s wearing one of those commemorative Do The Right Thing tees from Spike Lee’s 40 Acres and a Mule brand/production house.

That same week I’d started a personal reappraisal of Lee’s work thanks to some new criterion releases in the UK and had the Blu-ray disk for Jungle Fever next to me. When Washington catches a glance he begins to wax lyrical about multiple scenes and small details in the film.

“There’s that one scene where she leaves the dad’s house and the camera tracks her and there’s that one song. It’s Stevie [Wonder] he did the whole score. What was that song again?” Washington says. It’s clear he knows his stuff.

Quick Links 'The Piano Lesson' Is an Engrossing Adaptation of a Pulitzer-Winning Play Samuel L. Jackson Knocks It Out of the Park Yet Again Critics and Audiences Are Impressed with 'The Piano Lesson'

Samuel L. Jackson has been a beloved and respected presence on the silver screen for decades, having proven himself to be one of Hollywood's most dynamic and entertaining leading men throughout the course of his illustrious career. There is no genre, role, or film Jackson can't completely make his own, having starred in a slew of unforgettable classics like Pulp Fiction, A Time to Kill, The Incredibles, and Django Unchained (to name just a few of his endless hits), and his films have collectively grossed over $27 billion, making him the highest-grossing actor of all time.

Apart from his dazzling cinema work, Jackson has also had a prominent presence on the stage and on Broadway,...

Samuel L. Jackson wants to dispel a myth about the Academy Awards — namely the humility of creatives who say they are honored just by the reception of a nod.

In a recent interview with the Associated Press promoting Netflix’s August Wilson adaptation The Piano Lesson, the MCU actor joked that he’s been in the business long enough to de-center the Oscars race, and any potential buzz or hype about a project or role, from his work.

“Folks will go, ‘Well it’s just an honor to be nominated.’ No it ain’t,” Jackson said, eliciting chuckles from co-star Michael Potts and the interviewer off-screen. “It’s an honor to win.”

He continued, “You get nominated, folks will go, ‘Yeah yeah, I remember that’ or most people forget.”

Ironically enough, Jackson was bestowed an honorary Oscar by longtime friend Denzel Washington at the 2022 Governors Awards. He has also been...

For Malcolm Washington, an appreciation for August Wilson plays runs in the family. Several years ago, his father Denzel committed to producing film adaptations of Wilson’s Century Cycle plays — a collection of 10 works, each covering one decade of the Black experience in 20th-century America. Denzel started with the Oscar-nominated Fences, which he also directed and starred in, and followed that with Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which won Chadwick Boseman a posthumous Best Actor Oscar nomination. In 2022, Malcolm’s brother, the actor John David Washington, starred in a Broadway revival of The Piano Lesson.

Holiday season is in full swing and awards season is gearing up, which means Netflix is absolutely packed with new releases this month. Naturally, there are the chart-topping new Christmas rom-coms, which have become a signature for the streamer in recent years. But there are also some fantastic throwback films in the lineup, as well as some potential awards contenders this month — most notably, the latest August Wilson adaptation from Denzel Washington, following “Fences” and “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”

It’s a packed month, but not to worry, we’ve combed through to find the best of the best, whether you’re looking for a light-hearted holiday film or something more dramatic to sink your teeth into. Here’s a curated list of the best new movies on Netflix in November.

Netflix ‘Hot Frosty’ (2024)

The Christmas movie sensation of the 2024 holiday season so far, “Hot Frosty” stars Hallmark Queen Lacey Chabert...

Hold on to your butts, Samuel L. Jackson is coming after awards season cordiality.

The veteran actor of stage and screen, most recently seen in the Netflix adaptation of August Wilson’s “The Piano Lesson,” was blunt in his assessment of the weight awards hold in the span of a career, specifically the Oscar, joking in a recent interview with the Associated Press that people tend to take it all too seriously

“Folks will go, ‘Well it’s just an honor to be nominated.’ No it ain’t,” Jackson said. “It’s an honor to win.”

Jackson himself has only received an Honorary Oscar, presented to him by longtime friend Denzel Washington in 2021, though he was nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actor for “Pulp Fiction.” The actor, producer, and philanthropist is garnering buzz again this year for his performance in “The Piano Lesson,” directed by Washington’s son...

Matthew McConaughey was at the height of his fame, when he up and left Hollywood for his Texas ranch. At the time, he was just jumping from one romantic comedy to another, and he knew that there was so much more he could bring to the Hollywood table.

Matthew McConaughey On the Value of Saying “No”

McConaughey is one of those rare stars who have not only enjoyed successful Hollywood careers, but a long and meaningful one as well.

In his latest chat with tennis pro Nick Kyrgios for the athlete’s Wednesday, Nov. 20 episode of Good Trouble with Nick Kyrgios, he talked about taking his career into his own hands.

“Look, man, the devil’s in the infinite yeses, not the nos,” McConaughey, 55, began. “No, it’s just as important, if not more important. Especially if you have some level of success and access. No becomes more important than yes.

Based on Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Potts' ages, it's arguable that they are not the right actors for the characters of Doaker Charles and Winning Boy Charles in The Piano Lesson. At the very least, the screenplay for The Piano Lesson movie should have included some changes from the original August Wilson play. In addition to Jackson and Potts, the cast of The Piano Lesson includes John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, and Corey Hawkins. The film holds a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics believing it faithfully adapts the Pulitzer Prize-winning August Wilson play.

However, it's possible that The Piano Lesson movie, directed by Malcolm Washington, son of Denzel Washington, adapts the play too faithfully. Even though Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Potts are both incredible actors, and excel as supporting characters in The Piano Lesson's story, one line from the original play should...

Netflix has released a powerful new screen adaptation of August Wilson’s classic play “The Piano Lesson,” which marks Malcolm Washington’s first feature film as director. The film, which debuted at the Telluride Film Festival, examines deep family history and generational suffering through the lens of a single, meaningful musical instrument.

Set in 1936 Pittsburgh, the film depicts the Charles family’s fierce struggle over an ancestral piano carved with pictures of their enslaved forefathers. The center of the story is Boy Willie (John David Washington), who travels from Mississippi to persuade his sister Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) to sell the family’s prized piano—a symbolic object with a difficult history of survival and resistance.

The production represents a substantial Washington family collaboration. Denzel Washington acts as executive producer, with his sons Malcolm directing and John David starring. This is Denzel Washington’s third adaptation of Wilson’s work, following...

It’s been a big weekend for the Washington family.

While patriarch Denzel Washington chewed the scenery on multiplex screens in “Gladiator II,” the next generation of Washingtons stormed onto streaming with the film adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winner “The Piano Lesson.” With the Netflix film, Denzel and Pauletta Washington’s kids — director Malcolm, actor John David and producer Katia — add to both their family mythos and Wilson’s legacy.

“We’re standing on the shoulders of the Wilsonians,” John David Washington told Variety at the film’s Los Angeles premiere on Nov. 19, listing artists who’ve appeared in Wilson’s works on stage and screen, including his father, Viola Davis, Samuel L. Jackson, Latanya Richardson Jackson, Stephen McKinley Henderson and Charles Dutton.

“They showed us how to do it,” he said. “Hopefully the younger generation will be inspired by what’s possible with these words.”

Malcolm,...

The work of playwright August Wilson has been speaking to audiences for decades. First, as a massive stage presence on Broadway with his historic Pittsburgh Cycle and now in a different life on the silver screen, adapted into award-winning films by Denzel Washington in Fences and George C. Wolfe in Ma Raineys Black Bottom. Now, Malcolm Washington makes his directorial debut with Wilsons The Piano Lesson, featuring much of the 2022 Broadway cast and starring two of Wilsons original mainstay performers: the brilliantly iconic Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Potts.

This review was originally published on September 16, 2024 as a part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage.

August Wilson, the late acclaimed American playwright, chronicled some of the best stories about African American experiences using deeply humanized and comprehensive storytelling. Some of his notable theater works include Fences and Ma Raineys Black Bottom, both of which have been adapted into film. Denzel Washington, who produced both features, returns for a third Wilson adaptation with The Piano Lesson,which sees a Black family adapt to life in 1936 Pittsburgh following the Great Depression. Directed by Malcolm Washington and featuring a star-studded, talented cast, The Piano Lesson captures the importance of honoring our ancestors through legacy.

The Piano Lesson

In The Piano Lesson, a brother and sister clash over selling a family heirloom pianohe sees it as a path to wealth, while she views it as a vital link to their heritage. Their uncle tries to mediate,...

One of the best movies of 2024 is now available to stream on Netflix. Met with widespread critical acclaim upon release, The Piano Lesson is now a hot Oscars contender, and marks the directorial debut of Malcolm Washington, the son of Hollywood icon and Gladiator 2 star Denzel Washington. The drama follows a family in 1936 Pittsburgh, amid the aftermath of the Great Depression, as they grapple with their family legacy while deciding what to do with the titular musical heirloom.

Directed by Malcolm Washington, who co-wrote the screenplay with Virgil Williams, The Piano Lesson is an adaptation of the play by August Wilson. The movie is something of a Washington family get-together, with Tenet star John David Washington starring, Denzel Washington producing, and Katia Washington on board as an executive producer. The rest of the stellar cast includes Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Danielle Deadwyler,...

The musical instrument sitting over in the corner, idle but not gathering dust, at the center of August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play The Piano Lesson is more than just a piano. It’s a family heirloom, passed down several generations and proof of how their lineage endured hardship and tragedy. It’s a piece of art, carved with the faces of those who came before, all rendered with an expertise that would make Michelangelo envious. It’s a symbol of revenge, with a backstory that involves the breaking of unions,...

The Piano Lesson has finally been released on Netflix, and here is a full breakdown of the cast and characters from the film. Director Malcolm Washington is adapting the critically acclaimed 1987 play into a feature film, with him working alongside some of the most talented actors who are working today. There are tons of talented individuals in The Piano Lesson, and here's who they all are.

The Piano Lesson follows the Charles family, a multi-generational group of characters who have to decide what they want to do with the titular piano. The piano is a family heirloom that was crafted by the enslaved ancestors of the Charles family, with it being beautifully decorated and passed down. Some want to sell the piano and others want to preserve it, leading to a major conflict within the Charles family.

Actor

Role

John David Washington

Boy Willie Charles

Samuel L. Jackson

Doaker Charles...

Ghosts and demons plague the three film adaptations that Denzel Washington has produced of playwright August Wilson's Pittsburgh Cycle. They nip at the heels of Wilson’s characters. Their unshakable pasts and daunting legacies torment their presents and endanger their futures. In Fences, which Washington directed and starred in, they...

The Washington family is hitting the red carpet!

Denzel Washington and wife Pauletta stepped out to support their kids Malcolm, John David, and Katia Washington at the premiere of their new Netflix movie The Piano Lesson on Tuesday night (November 19) held at The Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles

John David, 40, stars in the movie, which Malcolm, 33, directed, and Katia, 36, produced.

Cast members in attendance included Danielle Deadwyler, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu, Skylar Aleece Smith, Corey Hawkins, and Gail Bean.

Katia had the support of wife Colleen at the premiere while Tyler, the Creator was also in attendance.

Here’s the movie’s synopsis from Netflix: “Set in 1936 Pittsburgh during the aftermath of the Great Depression, The Piano Lesson follows the lives of the Charles family in the Doaker Charles household and an heirloom, the family piano, which documents the family history through carvings made by their enslaved ancestor.

A new movie produced by Denzel Washington is performing well on Rotten Tomatoes. Washington is an actor who had his breakthrough role in the 1980s medical drama St. Elsewhere and went on to achieve great critical and commercial success. This includes being nominated for 10 Oscars and having his movies collectively gross more than $4.57 billion at the worldwide box office.

Over the years, Denzel Washington movies that have made huge splashes include the Equalizer trilogy, which has collectively grossed $574.3 million, and 2016's Fences, which was nominated for four Oscars, winning one. He also directed Fences, with the August Wilson adaptation marking his third of four directorial features so far. He is also a producer, primarily on his own movies, though he has also produced movies in which he didn't star, like 2020's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, which is likewise an August Wilson adaptation.

The Piano Lesson Has Earned A Solid Rotten...

In the screen adaptation of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson, several actors who starred in the 2022 Broadway production of the 1987 play reprise their roles onscreen. That includes John David Washington in the role of Boy Willie Charles, Samuel L. Jackson as Doacker Charles, Michael Potts as Wining Boy Charles, and Ray Fisher as Lymon.

In the role of Boy Willie’s sister Berniece Charles — who Academy Award-nominated Danielle Brooks portrayed in the play — comes Danielle Deadwyler, known for her portrayal of Mamie Till in 2022’s Till.

“These Black women are killing it, right?” John David told The Hollywood Reporter of working alongside the actresses onscreen and onstage at the Los Angeles premiere of the film at the Egyptian Theater on Tuesday. “These Black women can go. We’re looking like, ‘Who’s the next Viola [Davis]?’ We got them. They’re here. We need y’all — people with the mic,...