Denzel Washington has long been a fan of celebrated playwright, August Wilson, and a few years back he won a Tony Award for a revival of Fences. Ever since, Washington has been trying to mount a film version which he would direct, saying at the time...
"It reawakened me about the work, and my commitment to the work. I said to myself: 'I've got to dig deeper. 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."
And now it appears to be happening. Deadline reports Washington will get behind the camera for Fences, with much of the original stage cast returning. That includes Viola Davis, Mykelti Williamson, Russell Hornsby, Gabriel Maxson, Jovan Adepo, and Saniyya Sidney. Washington would play Troy Maxon, a trash collector in the 1950s who was never able to fulfill his dream of being a baseball player due to the color barrier.
Paramount is behind this one, and production is gearing up fast in hopes of it being ready by this awards season. So look out.
