While he’s found plenty of success playing good guys, Denzel Washington seems to relish the occasional chance to turn to the dark side. Witness the likes of Training Day and American Gangster if you want evidence of that (especially since Training Day’s brutal detective Alonzo Harris scored him his latest Oscar victory in 2002). So it’s not surprising to learn, via the Vulture blog, that the actor is interested in a crooked role in Universal’s thriller **Safe House.
Penned by David Guggenheim, the script launched something of a bidding war with various studios eager to get their grubby paws on a story of a young US intelligence agent who has to go on the run with a dangerous, newly arrived prisoner when their titular safe haven is attacked.
Washington has yet to sign on the dotted – right now, he’s simply in talks to snatch the role. But with a plot that’s described as a cross between Collateral and Three Days of the Condor, you can see the attraction. Plus, it’s a chance to find that rarest of beasts in Hollywood these days: the original screenplay.
And if he does jump aboard, having Washington in the cast will no doubt spur the search for a director. Wonder if he’ll put a call into regular collaborator Tony Scott?