Denzel Washington to direct 10 August Wilson plays for HBO
Denzel Washington is best known for his stellar acting, both on the big screen and on stage, but this time, the two-time Oscar winner will be behind the scenes: Washington just landed a huge deal with HBO as director and executive producer.
Washington announced on Thursday that he will direct and executive produce all 10 of August Wilson's "Pittsburgh Cycle" plays, reports Deadline. Washington will also act in one of the Pulitzer winner's plays, "Fences," along with Viola Davis. Washington has reached an agreement with Wilson's estate to release one play a year on HBO.
"I'm directing, producing -- and acting in one ("Fences") -- and I'm executive producing the other nine," he said during "An Evening With Denzel Washington" at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. "I'm really excited about that -- that [the estate] would put that in my hands and trust me. That's good enough for me. It doesn't get any better than that."
"The Pittsburgh Cycle" is a series of 10 plays that follows African-American life throughout the 20th century; each play represents each decade of the century. It is also known as the "Century Cycle," and they are all set in Pittsburgh's Hill District, except for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom," which is set in Chicago.
Theater enthusiasts will be particularly excited to see Washington and Davis reprise their roles "Fences." The two actors crushed the Tony Awards for their 2010 Broadway production of the play; Washington won Best Actor, Davis won Best Actress and the play won Best Revival.