Denzel Washington-led KING LEAR on stage and film for 2023?

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 7:49pm

According to Baz Bamigboyeof The Daily Mail, Academy Award and Tony-winning actor Denzel Washington has revealed that he hopes to take on the role of Shakespeare's King Lear as his next project.

Washington, who is currently earning raves as another of The Bard's leading men in Joel Coen's Macbeth, is aiming to perform the role onstage with a film to follow.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 7:51pm

Oh goodie. Another Lear. 

[bfreak]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 7:55pm

I’m not surprised because in 2018 he was debating between Lear and Iceman. I guess he still has the itch for it. I’ll see him in anything, anytime. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 8:53pm

He's brilliant so yes please. 

[spicemonkey]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 10:36pm

YES!!

Whatever Denzel is in -> Take my money pls 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 11:07pm

Do a new play, Denzel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Imagine the EVENT status of him doing a new play by Brandon Jacobs Jenkins or Suzan Lori Parks or Lynn Nottage or Dominique Morisseau or Tarrell Alvin McCraney or Tony Kush or whoever?!

This was a Rudin project. Wonder who he'll work with as a producer (and director) now that SR is gone?

I love him on stage and screen, but I just do not need to see another LEAR.

[quizking101]

Posted: 2/3/22 at 11:17pm

I’m curious to see what he will bring to the role. I know he’s done Shakespeare on screen before and definitely has the stage endurance (I saw him in “The Iceman Cometh&rdquo - but this just scream “Unnecessary Vanity Project” to me, in the same vein as Daniel Craig reviving MacBeth for the third time in under 10 years.

I second the ones who say he needs to do a new play.

[JBroadway]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 10:44am

As far as Denzel's creative output, this is not something I feel like I need.

But as far as Lears go, I think he'd probably end up giving the best rendition of Lear I've personally ever seen. It's infuriating how much this role invites hammy overacting, even from the greats (I wish there was some kind of red tape regulation whereby any actor playing King Lear was banned from screaming a single line of text). But I think Denzel would  be one of the actors to do right by the role. 

Baz's scoops are usually surrounding UK-based projects, no? I wonder if Denzel plans to do it in London. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 2/4/22 at 12:07pm

Baz will scoop whatever type of project he can. But I think Broadway audiences will be much more hospitable to an American LEAR than UK audiences.