It’s official: Denzel Washington is finally going to play Hannibal. No, we’re not talking about Dr Lecter! According to Variety, the upcoming Netflix historical epic tells the story of real-life Carthaginian general, Hannibal.
“[The film is] based on real-life warrior Hannibal, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest military commanders in history,” reads the film’s logline. “The film covers the pivotal battles he led against the Roman Republic during the Second Punic War.”
One of the major events of the Second Punic War was when Hannibal crossed the Alps, one of the most celebrated military achievements in ancient history.
Back in 218 BC Hannibal led an army of tens of thousands of troops across the Alps, declaring war on the Roman Republic as he marched his army into Italy. The infamous maneuver included cavalry and war elephants and bypassed much of the Republic’s land fortifications, not to mention avoided the Roman navy-dominated seas entirely.
It's likely this staggering victory will be immortalized in the upcoming film, a victory which saw Hannibal occupy most of southern Italy for a period of 15 years. Almost as long as Washington’s new film has been in the works...
Washington has been tipped for the role since as far back as 2002, when a Hannibal project was in the works at Fox. Let's hope it doesn’t take quite so long to make the movie itself.
The film sees Washington reteam with The Equalizer 3 director Antoine Fuqua and is written by John Logan who also penned the award-winning epic, Gladiator. Washington will produce the film alongside Fuqua, Erik Olsen, and Adam Goldworm.
Want to read more about historical films and TV shows? Check out why Ridley Scott cast Joaquin Phoenix in Napoleon as well as the first trailer for the upcoming Masters of the Air on Apple TV+.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
