Here’s Deadline reporting that Netflix has attached Denzel Washington to play the ancient Carthaginian general Hannibal in an untitled epic drama directed by Antoine Fuqua.
Forget about Fuqua for just a second, at least there’s a strong screenwriter attached to this project, John Logan (“Gladiator,” “The Aviator,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Skyfall”).
It doesn’t hurt that Washington is one of the greatest living actors. However, I hate to be the bearer of such news, but Hannibal wasn’t black — Carthaginian is closest to being Tunisian. So, we have some revisionist casting here, but if there’s any actor who can pull it off it’s Denzel.
Fuqua’s film, set to be his sixth project with Washington, will follow the pivotal battles Hannibal led against the Roman Empire during the Second Punic War (218-201 B.C.). I do wonder how Tunisians will react to this news — Hannibal is the stuff of legend in that country, widely revered as a national hero in the Arab nation.
Denzel won an Oscar for his role in Fuqua’s 2001 action film "Training Day." However, since then, forget about it. There’s the three ‘Equalizer’ movies they’ve teamed-up for. Not to mention their misbegotten 2015 remake of "The Magnificent Seven."
Fuqua’s other non-Denzel films include “Tears of the Sun,” “King Arthur,” “Brooklyn’s Finest,” “Olympus Has Fallen,” “South Paw,” “Emancipation,” and “The Guilty.” Is there even a good film in the bunch?
No details were given as to when production would begin on this film. Fuqua is supposed to be shooting his Michael Jackson biopic, also penned by Logan, any week now. They were just waiting for the strike to end before production could commence.