Denzel Washington’s upcoming movie is especially exciting thanks to a hit movie he made eight years ago. Over the years since his acting career was kickstarted after he took a role on television as part of the popular medical dramaSt. Elsewhere,Denzel Washington movieshave taken many different shapes as the versatile actor has taken on a variety of different roles, genres, and artistic collaborators. In addition to frequently working with directors Antoine Fuqua, Tony Scott, and Spike Lee, with whom he has made more than four movies each, he has directed four movies of his own.
Included among thehighest-grossing Denzel Washington moviesare the 2007 Ridley Scott crime dramaAmerican Gangster, the 1993 Jonathan Demme legal dramaPhiladelphia, and the action movie trilogyThe Equalizer, which ran between 2014 and 2023, proving how many different types of movie the actor has helped propel into becoming major theatrical hits.In addition to commercial success, he has achieved great critical success, including being nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning forTraining DayandGlory. His other accolades include two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Tony Award, two Emmy nominations, and a Grammy nomination.
Every Denzel Washington & Spike Lee Movie Ranked
Denzel Washington and director Spike Lee collaborated on four exceptional movies that have come to be both cultural and cinematic successes.
Denzel Washington Is Adapting Joe Turner’s Come & Gone - What It’s About
The Play Is From August Wilson’s Pittsburgh Cycle
One of Denzel Washington’s upcoming projects isan adaptation ofJoe Turner’s Come & Gonebyplaywright August Wilson. The play, which originally premiered in 1984, is part of the renowned writer’sPittsburgh Cycle, which is a loosely connected series of ten plays that are set during different decades, mostly in the Hill District in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The cycle, which ran from 1982’sJitneyto 2005’sRadio Golf, also includes 1984’sMa Rainey’s Black Bottom, 1985’sFences, and 1987’sThe Piano Lesson.
WhenJoe Turner’s Come & Gonedebuted on Broadway in 1988, the cast included Angela Bassett, Delroy Lindo, Kimberly Scott, Raynor Scheine, L. Scott Caldwell, and Mel Winkler.
Joe Turner’s Come & Gonehas one of the earliest settings in August Wilson’s entirePittsburgh Cycle,taking place in a boardinghouse in 1911. It tells the story of a man named Harold Loomis who, along with his daughter Zonia, takes up residence in a Pittsburgh boardinghouse run by Seth and Bertha Holly while searching for his missing wife. However, his search is as much internal as it is external, as it becomes clear he is still hung up on his traumatic, illegal enslavement at the hands of bounty hunter Joe Turner.
Denzel Washington’s New August Wilson Adaptation Is Very Exciting After Fences
Fences Is One Of Washington’s Best-Received Movies Of The Past Decade
Washington’s involvement inJoe Turner’s Come & Goneis exciting in the wake of2016’sFences, an August Wilson adaptation that he both directed and starred in. The earlierPittsburgh Cycleplay, which is set in the 1950s, provided Washington with layered source material that allowed him to craft a critical hit that earned him a Certified Fresh score of 92% for the movie on Rotten Tomatoes,tying for his best-reviewed movie of the past decade. Below, see a breakdown of the Rotten Tomatoes scores received by every movie that Denzel Washington has either directed or starred in since 2014:
61%
64%
92%
55%
52%
45%
31%
Robert McCall
76%
At the time of writing, it is unclear if Washington intends to direct or star inJoe Turner’s Come & Goneor merely produce the upcoming project, which is still in the early stages of development. However, the actor and filmmaker’s track record with August Wilson is impossible to ignore nonetheless. In addition to tying for his best-reviewed movie of the past decade,Fencesearned him one of just three Certified Fresh badges on the platform among those titles during that same period and also became a commercial success,grossing $64.4 million against its $24 million budget.
Denzel Washington’s Other August Wilson Movie Already Looks Great Too
The Piano Lesson Adapts Another Pittsburgh Cycle Play
BeforeJoe Turner’s Come and Gone, Washington is already set to bringAugust Wilson’sThe Piano Lessonto Netflix on November 22 after a limited theatrical release on November 8.The adaptation of the 1930s-setPittsburgh Cycleplay was produced by Denzel Washington, directed by his youngest son Malcolm Washington, and stars his eldest son John David Washington. The entire cast is star-studded and also includes Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson,Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire’s Ray Fisher, singer-songwriter Erykah Badu,The Harder They Fall’s Danielle Deadwyler, andStraight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins.
John David Washington is already a well-known actor, having starred in Spike Lee’sBlacKkKlansmanand Christopher Nolan’sTenet.
The Piano Lessonhas already received several rave reviewsafter its premiere at the 51st Telluride Film Festival on August 31. Rotten Tomatoes has given it a tentative 100% score at the time of writing, though it could fluctuate as more reviews are added closer to its release. However, it may not change, as Washington has a stellar track record of producing August Wilson adaptations for Netflix, as his 2020 adaptation ofMa Rainey’s Black Bottom, which is set in the 1920s, earned a Certified Fresh score of 97% on the platform.
Joe Turner’s Come & Gone Could Be Another Awards Movie For Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington’s Past Oscar Performance Sets A Strong Precedent
It seems likely thatJoe Turner’s Come and Gonecould become yet anotherOscar-nominated Denzel Washington movie. He has a strong track record at the Academy Awards, having been nominated for his performances inCry Freedom,Malcolm X,The Hurricane,Flight,Fences,Roman J. Israel, Esq., andThe Tragedy of Macbethin addition to his wins. While he has never been nominated as a director,his one nomination as a producer was a Best Picture nod forFences, though it lost toMoonlightduring the infamous moment where it was accidentally announced thatLa La Landhad won first.
His adaptations of Wilson plays may be the key to connecting with Oscar voters…
In addition to earning him his only non-acting nomination,Denzel Washington’s previous August Wilson adaptation is alsohis only directorial feature to have been nominated for any Oscars at all. It was nominated for four, winning one for Best Supporting Actress for his co-star Viola Davis. That was followed byMa Rainey’s Black Bottombeing nominated for five, winning two (for Makeup and Hairstyling and Costume Design), indicating that his adaptations of Wilson plays may be the key to connecting with Oscar voters, which could mean that a bright future is ahead forJoe Turner’s Come and Gone.
