‘Fences’ First Look: Denzel Washington Brings August Wilson’s Powerful Play To The Big Screen
Denzel Washingtonis not only reprising the role of Troy Maxson fromAugust Wilson’s hit stage production ofFences, but he’s also directing the adaptation. Washington starred in the play on Broadway back in 2010, and with his feature film, he’s directing a script written by Wilson himself. Also returning to their roles from the 2010 production areViola Davis,Mykelti Williamson,Stephen McKinley,Henderson,andRussell Hornsby, and we have a first look at theFencesmovie.
Troy Maxson is a 53-year-old sanitation employee living in Pittsburgh with his loving and understanding wife, Rose (Viola Davis). Maxson was once, in his eyes, a great baseball player born in the wrong time. Never getting a shot at the pros is something he can’t let go of, and he lets it, in addition to other personal problems, affect those closest to him, like his two sons, Lyon (Russell Hornsby) and Cory (Jovan Adepo).
Maxson is a challenging character. He’s often frustrating and despicable, but he’s also a character that’s suffered, and he also has a sense charisma it’s easy to imagine Washington perfecting. It’s a great role forThe Magnificent Sevenstar. Then again, the same can be said for any one of his co-stars.
Here’s your first look atFences(Source:The Hollywood Reporter):
Below, to Maxson’s left is Bono (Stephen Henderson), the former ball player’s best friend.
When it came to directingFences, Denzel Washington didn’t need any convincing from powerhouse producerScott Rudin:
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 this.
Washington shot the film in Pittsburgh, whereFencesis set and where Wilson was born and raised. The late playwright wrote many plays about his hometown, and Washington plans on bringing10 of his playsto HBO, with the help ofTony Kushner(Angels in America).Fenceswas initially at HBO, but it’s now a potential awards contender for Paramount Pictures.
There are many reasons why the film ranked as high as it did on ourFall preview. Washington has proven himself to be an emotional, unobtrusive filmmaker withAntwone FischerandThe Great Debaters. He has the capability of doing Wilson’s story justice. IfFenceslives up to our expectations, then Washington, Davis, Wilson, and all involved will get plenty of waterworks flowing before the year ends.
