Denzel Washington is considering adapting Othello into a movie, based on a new update. The two-time Oscar-winning actor currently stars in the Shakespeare play on Broadway as the titular Moorish military commander who is manipulated by his ensign, Iago (played by Jake Gyllenhaal), into suspecting his wife Desdemona (Molly Osborne) of infidelity. Othello has been adapted to the screen countless times over the years, but the hit Broadway play starring Washington has recently reignited interest in another potential film adaptation.
Now, talking to The Hollywood Reporter on the opening’s red carpet, the play’s director, Kenny Leon, said that he and Denzel Washington are “absolutely” discussing adapting Othello into a movie, and he hopes Gyllenhaal could also return, saying “I would hope so, absolutely, that’s what I would hope would happen.” Leon continued by saying he isn’t sure how Othello would translate to film, but whether presented theatrically or cinematically, the story must still convey the same truth. For now, he added, their focus is on bringing the Broadway production to life. Read his full comments below:

[It’s] two different art forms… [But the story’s still] got to tell the same truth… We’re trying to get this up first… It’s important for today because, for hundreds of years, we’re still dealing with ourselves. Humanity is still struggling with itself. This play is about pure love but what happens to pure love when there’s rumors and lies and jealousy. And all that’s timely for every generation.

Cast members Molly Osborne and Neal Bledsoe, who plays the Duke of Venice, are also interested in reprising their roles in a potential Othello movie, with the latter saying Shakespeare’s “Macbeth translated into the medium of film, so I think that this would do the same thing quite well.”
What This Update Means For Denzel Washington’s Othello Movie

The Actor Is No Stranger To Shakespeare

Denzel Washington is no stranger to Shakespeare, having even played Othello before, at 22 years of age, when he was a student at Fordham University. In 2005, he starred in the Broadway revival of Julius Caesar in the role of Marcus Brutus. The actor has even starred in a Shakespeare film adaptation before, playing the titular role in Joel Coen’s The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2011, for which Washington received his ninth Oscar nomination for acting.

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Washington has also collaborated with director Kenny Leon multiple times before, which bodes well for a potential Othello movie. The actor starred in the 2010 Broadway revival of August Wilson’s Fences, directed by Leon. That was later adapted into the 2016 film Fences, which Washington also directed, resulting in his seventh Oscar nomination for acting. Washington also starred in the 2014 Broadway revival of Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun, also directed by Leon.
Our Take On Denzel Washington’s Othello Movie

It Already Seems Likely

Othello may have just recently debuted on Broadway, but the possibility of a film adaptation featuring Denzel Washington already seems promising. The highly anticipated production opened on March 23, but has been in previews since February 24 and already made box office history in its second week, setting a new record for the highest weekly gross for a Broadway play, bringing in $2.8 million. Denzel Washington’s history with Shakespeare, director Kenny Leon, and the massive success of Othello on Broadway all bode incredibly well for a potential film adaptation.

Othello is playing at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre until June 8.

Source: THR

Denzel Washington

Birthdate

December 28, 1954

Birthplace

Mount Vernon, New York, USA