Denzel Washington will be in Italy this summer to take on the role of Hannibal in the new Antoine Fuqua film produced by Netflix, which will be shot at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, as reported by Variety.
Meanwhile, location scouting is underway in Italy for this epic drama dedicated to the figure of the Carthaginian general, written by three-time Oscar winner John Logan (writer of The Aviator and Gladiator), which, according to the official logline, “is based on the real life of Hannibal, who is widely recognized as one of the greatest military commanders in history. It tells the story of the most important battles fought against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.” Hannibal invaded Italy arriving from North Africa on an elephant and, after defeating the Romans in several battles, occupied the south of the peninsula for 15 years. He was later defeated by the Roman army during their counter-offensive in North Africa, in the famous Battle of Zama.
Logan also worked with Fuqua on the screenplay for the highly anticipated biopic Michael, which will be in theaters on April 24.
The director of photography, Robert Richardson, is also a three-time Oscar winner: for The Aviator, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and JFK.
Washington, in his sixth collaboration with Fuqua, is also a producer of the film alongside Erik Olsen, Adam Goldworm, Todd Black, Clayton Townsend, and Fuqua, whose Hill District Media has signed a first-look deal with Netflix. Scott Greenberg, Kat Samick, Katia Washington, Frank Moll, and Jeremy Lott serve as executive producers.
Washington recently starred in another movie set in ancient Rome, Scott’s “Gladiator 2,” in which he played a wealthy former slave named Macrinus who earned his freedom as a gladiator and then, after becoming very wealthy and powerful, schemed to seize control of the Roman Empire.
The Hannibal epic will mark Fuqua’s sixth collaboration with Washington, who won an Oscar for Fuqua’s “Training Day” in 2001. They most recently paired on 2023’s “The Equalizer 3,” with Washington reprising his role as ex-Marine Robert McCall, which was shot primarily in Italy.
Fuqua’s latest movie, the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” on which he also collaborated with Logan as screenwriter, will open in standard theaters and in Imax worldwide on April 24.
