When Denzel Washington is interested in not only acting in a film but also interested in directing it, you can safely assume that the concept of the film would be a great one. Basically, Denzel is interested in adapting August Wilson’s play ‘Fences’ for the silver screen. Washington in 2010 starred in a 12-week Broadway revival of the stage production of Fences opposite Viola Davis. The revival was nominated for ten Tony Awards, winning three for Best Revival of a Play, Best Actor in a Play (Denzel Washington), and Best Actress in a Play (Viola Davis). Denzel since then has been eager to adapt the play into a film.

“It reawakened me about the work, and my commitment to the work. I said to myself: ‘I’ve got to dig deeper. The reason I did ‘Fences’ is that Scott Rudin sent me the script August Wilson wrote – the only one of his plays that he wrote as a screenplay – to act and direct. I really do want to direct [the film version]” Denzel was quoted as saying revealing what kindled his desire for a film adaptation.

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For those unaware, Fences is a Pulitzer Prize winning play written by August Wilson. Fences, explores the evolving African-American experience and examines race relations, among other themes. The play won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the 1987 Tony Award for Best Play. The story of the play is basically centered around a 53-year old man named Troy, who is the head of a household for which he struggles to provide. Also, he is obsessed with cheating death.

The play was titled Fences to indicate a fence that Troy works at building throughout the story. By the end of the story he manages to successfully finish building it. The fence is basically sighted as an allegory, where Troy looks at it as way to keep the grim reaper away. Troy’s wife too looks at the fence as a way of securing things and keeping all that she wants securely within this fence and all that is unwanted outside it. Fences premiered on Broadway on March 26, 1987 and closed on June 26, 1988 after 525 performances and 11 previews. Directed by Lloyd Richards, the original cast featured James Earl Jones (Troy Maxson), Mary Alice (Rose), Ray Aranha (Jim Bono), Frankie R. Faison (Gabriel), and Courtney B. Vance (Cory).

Nigel Owen

Nigel is a graduate from Birmingham University, Nigel has worked for about 8 years in the banking industry, until one day he discovered his passion for writing. It basically gives him the opportunity to enlighten himself about subjects and things that he normally might not come across.

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