Denzel Washington definitely is thinking about the Roman Empire.
The actor is confirmed to reunite with longtime “Training Day” and “The Equalizer” director Antoine Fuqua for an untitled Hannibal film at Netflix based on the real-life warrior who fought against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War. The yet-to-be-titled project is based on real-life warrior Hannibal, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history, and will cover his pivotal battles.
“Gladiator” scribe John Logan wrote the script. Washington and Fuqua will both produce the film, along with Erik Olsen and Adam Goldworm. Jeremy Lott and Frank Moll serve as executive producers.
In addition to the Hannibal movie, Washington is also starring in the Roman Empire-set “Gladiator” sequel, directed by Ridley Scott. The upcoming film co-stars Paul Mescal.
The upcoming Hannibal film is part of Fuqua’s production company Hill District Media’s first-look partnership with Netflix, which was announced in December 2021 following the success of Jake Gyllenhaal feature “The Guilty.”
“Working with Netflix on ‘The Guilty’ was such a rewarding experience, both from an artistic and collaborative point of view. I’m beyond excited to continue this relationship and expand our slate of films with a partner that shares our vision at Hill District Media,” Fuqua said at the time.
Fuqua recently told Yahoo! Entertainment that he had to stop Washington from taking over “The Equalizer 3” stunts. “There are very few actors who are on that level. He’s just one of the greats, he’s a GOAT,” Fuqua said of working with the Oscar winner.
Fuqua added in an IndieWire interview that working with Washington on “Training Day” changed his whole career.
“Our rhythm is like music. I guess the only way I could describe it, I would imagine it’s like two musicians that just pick up the instruments and go and they just start riffing and it flows,” Fuqua said. “That’s been our relationship since ‘Training Day.’ And he set that tone [on the set of ‘Training Day’], I remember he was sitting at the table with Ethan [Hawke], and I said, ‘You want to come over and take a look [at the monitor]?’ It was my first scene with him, him and Ethan, I was scared to death. And Denzel was like, ‘You’re flying this plane, buddy. Call me when you need me,’ and got up walked away, and I just thought, ‘I can’t screw this up.’ Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. But that told me he trusted me.”
