A few years may have lapsed since we last caught wind of Denzel Washington’s adaptation of Fences, August Wilson’s acclaimed Broadway play of the same name, though Deadline is reporting that the project is beginning to pick up steam.
Heralding a stage reunion, it’s been confirmed that Mykelti Williamson and Russell Hornsby will reprise their roles in the race drama, flanked by a cast that includes Gabriel Maxson, Jovan Adepo, Saniyya Sidney, and Viola Davis. Having shepherded the project since 2013, Washington is also set to star in Fences as 53-year-old Troy Maxon, a “sanitation employee who once aspired to be a professional baseball player and now faces daily discrimination while coming to terms with his lost ambitions.”
Earning both the coveted Pulitzer and Tony prizes when it first debuted in the early 80s, Fences acts as the sixth instalment of Wilson’s ten-part “Pittsburgh Cycle,” charting race relations and the “evolving African-American experience” within the bustling heart of American during the 1950s.
Paramount Pictures is reportedly eager to fire up production on Fences in the coming months to ensure Denzel Washington’s long-gestating adaptation is a shoo-in for the awards season. With stellar source material and an equally impressive cast now in tow, early signs indicate that the stars could align to make Washington’s next directorial effort a bona fide awards contender.
Principal photography has been slated to begin on July 22 of this year.