Denzel Washington to Play Hannibal the Conqueror, a Carthaginian Warrior in New Film Directed by Antoine Fuqua at Netflix

by Darian Scalamoni

    Hot off the end of the SAG strike, we have some brand-new casting news. Though the team behind the project feels familiar, it feels like an adrenaline rush to get some fresh entertainment rumblings.

    The latest comes from a report from Deadline's Justin Kroll as Denzel Washington has set his next project alongside frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua. In a project starting at Netflix, Washington will play Hannibal, a Carthaginian warrior in a coveted role he's wanted for over 20 years in the industry. The film will play as an epic through the eyes of Hannibal, who atop an elephant attacks Rome from the North at a time where they were an enemy to the republic. He hailed from the African nation of Carthage with the events taking place within the era of which time was measured in BC. The currently untitled project will chronicle the battles that Hannibal led during the Second Punic War. Hannibal is regarded as one of the most tactical military leaders in history.

    As stated above, Washington will re-team with Antoine Fuqua, who has previously directed Denzel in his Oscar-winning role of Alonzo in 2001's Training Day. He also helmed all three entries within The Equalizer movie franchise led by Washington. In addition to the release of The Equalizer 3, which hit theaters this past September, Fuqua has stayed incredibly busy. Since 2021, Fuqua has directed an additional three features: Infinity, The Guilty and last year's Emancipation which starred Will Smith. He also directed the docuseries Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers for Hulu and the pilot for the popular Amazon series The Terminal List. Fuqua will next direct the Michael Jackson biopic Michael next that stars Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson.

    Denzel Washington is set to return to filming soon on Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 post-SAG strike which currently is slated to hit theaters on Thanksgiving 2024. He's also been rumored to be a part of the next Paul Thomas Anderson shoot and would co-star alongside Tiffany Haddish and Leonardo DiCaprio if all continues on.