Netflix has paused production on Denzel Washington’s forthcoming Hannibal film.
The untitled historical epic war movie, which was planned to shoot in Italy this summer, has been halted as the producers and studio deal with budget concerns.
Movie execs on both ends are reportedly working to get production back on track in the hope it can still move forward at Netflix, according to Deadline. Netflix did not return The Independent’s request for comment.
The Equalizer director Antoine Fuqua is leading the film, which will star Washington as the Carthaginian general Hannibal, who is regarded as one of the most famous military commanders in history.
The script has been written by Oscar-winner John Logan, known for work on Michael, The Aviator and Gladiator. The story will focus on the battles Hannibal led against the Romans during the Second Punic War. Washington also serves as a producer on the movie.
The Hannibal project, if eventually released, will mark Fuqua and Washington’s sixth collaboration together. They most recently worked on the 2023 thriller sequel The Equalizer 3.
Washington, 71, has been nominated for 10 Oscars and won two in his nearly five-decade career. He won Best Supporting Actor for his role in Glory in 1990 and Best Actor for Training Day in 2002.
Fuqua joins the project on the heels of his box office sensation Michael, the King of Pop biopic, which has made $850 million and counting at the global box office.
The musical film was heavily criticized by reviewers, many of whom claimed that the film “whitewashed” Jackson’s legacy by ending his story in 1988, years before multiple child sexual abuse allegations against the singer emerged.
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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a critics’ score of just 38 percent at the time of writing — a “Rotten” rating indicating that the majority of critics gave negative reviews.
Yet the film was a huge box office hit, making almost $40 million in U.S. theaters on its opening day in April. On Rotten Tomatoes, the audience score, which is voted on by members of the public, indicates a resoundingly positive reception, with Rotten Tomatoes reporting a 97 percent “Fresh” rating.
In a one-star review of Michael for The Independent, critic Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “The draw of Michael, Bohemian Rhapsody producer Graham King’s turn at the life of the King of Pop, isn’t the desire to understand Jackson as a person or as an artist, or to grapple with the weight of his legacy as one of the most pivotal cultural figures of the 20th century.
“It exists to be consumed as an act of allegiance, as proof of fandom. It resists story in favor of content, in making sure fans see what they expect to see, whether that be the ‘Thriller’ video or ‘Bad’ performed live at Wembley in 1988.”
