By Ron Wynn
NASHVILLE, TN — Award-winning actor Denzel Washington will soon be returning to some familiar thematic territory. He’s appeared in acclaimed Broadway plays and he’s also done his fair share of Shakespearean works. Last week it was announced that Washington would be going back to Broadway, and his role this time would be Shakespeare’s tragic African general, Othello. He will co-star in a new production opposite Jake Gyllenhaal.
Producer Brian Anthony Moreland announced that Washington and Gyllenhaal would star in the Kenny Leon-directed production of “Othello.” While Washington will play Othello, Gyllenhaal will star as Iago, the nemesis in Othello’s life who brings him and his marriage to ruin.
There are still lots of details to be revealed, but the production has a tentative starting date of 2025. Washington has a long track record of doing Shakespeare productions, dating back to Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 film “Much Ado About Nothing,” which also starred Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves and Michael Keaton. Last year Washington starred in the Apple TV+ film “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” directed by Joel Coen, and co-starring Frances McDonald and Alex Hassell.
This is part of a busy period for the prolific Washington, who also appeared on Broadway in a stage version of ‘Fences.” He’s playing another African general, Hannibal, in an upcoming film by Antoine Fuqua.
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