Denzel Washington Aiming To Bring Broadway's 'Fences' To The Big Screen

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by Ken Guidry
February 1, 2013 9:40 AM
1 Comment

Denzel Washington has made quite a name for himself as an actor over the decades, and continues to be one of the more bankable Hollywood stars around even as he approaches 60. What might be more overlooked when it comes to Denzel is his relative success as a filmmaker. His previous directorial efforts, “Antwone Fisher” and “The Great Debaters” may not have been as successful financially as his other movies, but they did receive their fair share of critical notices. Now, it looks as if Denzel Washington is eyeing a return to the director’s chair once again.

The project is an adaptation of the August Wilson stage play “Fences.” Washington played the lead role in the play during a 12-week Broadway run back in 2010, a performance which earned him a Tony award. “Fences” tells the story of Troy Maxon, a 53-year old trash collector from Pittsburgh who is haunted by his unfulfilled dream of becoming a baseball star. The role “reawakened me about my work, and my commitment to the work,” as Denzel told Empire, “The reason I did 'Fences' is that Scott Rudin sent me the script August Wilson wrote - the only one of his plays that he wrote as a screenplay - to act and direct. I really do want to direct [the film version]."

It’s been six years since “The Great Debaters” so hopefully Washington will be able to get started on “Fences” sooner rather than later. And hopefully he'll ring up his co-star on the stage, Viola Davis, to join him once again. In the meantime, Denzel is nominated for Best Actor this year for “Flight,” we’ll see if he can pick up his third statue on February 24th. [via HitFix]

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jean vigo | February 2, 2013 1:45 AMReply

"Fences" is an American classic. If Wilson himself adapted it into a screenplay, it's going to be masterful for the screen. I hope Washington gets this up and going; it will introduce August Wilson to such a wider, younger audience. Make it happen.