The untitled war film would be the sixth movie for Washington and Fuqua, as their professional relationship began on screen with 2001’s “Training Day,” followed by “The Magnificent Seven” and “The Equalizer” trilogy.
In terms of actor-director relationships, the only person Denzel Washington has made as many films with as Spike Lee is Antoine Fuqua. Since 2001, the two have teamed up for acclaimed Oscar winners (“Training Day”), westerns (“The Magnificent Seven”) and guilty-pleasure action thrillers (“The Equalizer” series). As Fuqua and Washington plot a course for their biggest budget film yet, Netflix is putting it on hold.
According to Deadline, the streaming giant has halted production on “Hannibal,” Fuqua’s take on the ancient Carthaginian general, with Washington in the lead role. The film was set to begin filming later this year in Italy, a location well known to both Washington and Fuqua, but financiers and the studio are still determining the proper budget for the movie. Insiders hope that both sides will reach an agreement so that the film will not only begin production, but also eventually premiere on Netflix.
For Fuqua, the war epic would be one of his first films since directing the blockbuster Michael Jackson biopic, “Michael.” Since its premiere in mid-April, the movie has grossed nearly $900 million at the global box office. The film is already the highest-grossing live-action film of 2026 in the United States so far and is set to premiere on digital platforms on June 9.
In 2021, the director signed a first-look deal with Netflix, with the first film being “The Guilty” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. After shipping the Will Smith-led movie “Emancipation” to Apple TV, Fuqua completed “The Equalizer” trilogy with Washington in 2023 before directing “Michael.”
Washington’s most recent film was his latest collaboration with Lee in “Highest 2 Lowest,” which premiered on Apple TV.
