Denzel Washington will play ancient general Hannibal in Antoine Fuqua’s historical epic for Netflix
Actor Denzel Washington will be coming together once again to work with his frequent collaborator, the director Antoine Fuqua. The pair have previously worked on Fuqua’s Training Day and The Equalizer — two of Washington’s most famous roles.
The Fences star previously portrayed gritty street life in both action-packed movies. However, this time, it looks like Washington will have a starkly different role, as he is set to play the ancient general of Carthage, Hannibal, in an as-yet-untitled movie for Netflix.
The forthcoming film is currently being written by John Logan, the Oscar-winning screenwriter behind Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, so he knows a thing or two about historical epics.
The official logline for the movie reads, “based on real-life warrior Hannibal, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history. The film covers the pivotal battles he led against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.”
Hannibal had won critical battles for the Carthaginians against the Romans, and he invaded Italy while famously riding atop a North African elephant, occupying most of Southern Italy for around 15 years.
The Romans eventually defeated him during the Battle of Zama when they counter-invaded North Africa. Hannibal remains a pivotal figure in ancient history and seemed ripe for a movie adaptation.
Washington is producing the movie with Erik Olsen, Adam Goldworm and Fuqua per his Hill District Media’s first-look deal with Netflix.
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