Viola Davis to star in 'Fences' film directed by Denzel Washington

Viola Davis is going to work with Denzel Washington in a film adaptation of "Fences."

Luther Vandross was outed as gay after his death.

Viola Davis is going to work with Denzel Washington in a film adaptation of “Fences.”

“They are making ‘Fences,’ August Wilson’s play, into a feature that Denzel Washington is directing and I’m going to be in,” Davis told The New York Times.

If history can be believed, the “Fences” adaptation will surely be a hit, since Davis won a Tony for her performance in the 2010 Broadway production, in which she starred alongside Washington.

The reason for the delay in getting “Fences” to the movies has been, reportedly, that August Wilson, who penned the play, did not want to give his approval to a project that did not have a black director. Paramount at the time said that they would hire “the best director for the job” and approached several other directors, all of whom were white.

Wilson vented his frustration as the project stalled, saying that “whites have set themselves up as custodians of our experience.”

Then, as the story goes, Washington was offered the chance to direct the movie adaptation. He said that he wanted to be in the play first to experience it, and we got the amazing 2010 run with him and Davis.

Now, it looks like Washington is ready to take the reins of this project, and we’ve got to say, we’re pretty excited about it.

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