Two-time Oscar winnerDenzel Washingtonis in talks to star in the crime thrillerLittle Thingsfor Warner Bros., Collider has confirmed.
John Lee Hancock, whose new filmThe Highwaymenwill debut later this month on Netflix, has written the script and will likely direct, though he doesn’t have a deal for the latter gig just yet.
According toVariety, Washington is poised to play Deke, a burned-out cop up in Kern County who teams with Baxter, a crack detective from the LA Sheriff’s Department, to catch a serial killer. Deke has a nose for the “little things” that can help solve a case, but he also has a knack for breaking the rules, which poses a problem for Baxter. Meanwhile, Deke has problems of his own, as he’s haunted by a dark secret from his past.
This feels like a return toTraining Dayterritory for Washington, who won an Oscar for that film, which also earned his co-starEthan Hawkea nomination. The plan here is to pair Washington with another A-lister, and with the project apparently on the fast track at Warner Bros., it’ll all come down to scheduling. The studio would love to start production this summer, but many A-list actors have already filled their summer slots, so it’ll be interesting to see who Washington eventually wrangles as his sparring partner.
Washington had been planning to direct the Sony dramaA Journal for Jordan, which will starMichael B. Jordan, but according toVariety, a recent meeting with Hancock led him to reconsider his next project.Little Thingsmust be one hell of a script, because Washington doesn’t commit to movies lightly, especially one that would effectively delay his next directorial effort after 2016’sFences, which brought him his first Best Picture nomination as a producer.
Washington is coming off ofThe Equalizersequel, which grossed more than $100 million at the domestic box office, and prior to that film, he earned back-to-back Oscar nominations forRoman J. Israel, Esq.andFences. He’s represented by WME.
Hancock is the well-respected filmmaker behindThe Blind Side,The FounderandSaving Mr. Banks. His new film,The Highwaymen, findsKevin CostnerandWoody Harrelsonon the trail of Bonnie and Clyde, and it recently premiered at SXSW in advance of its March 29 release on Netflix. He’s repped by CAA.
