Denzel Washington and Viola Davis appear in fiery form in the first trailer for Fences, reprising their Tony award-winning performances from August Wilson’s Pulitzer-winning play of the same name.
Washington directs Wilson’s own screen adaptation, about a retired baseball player named Troy Maxson (Washington), now working as a Pittsburgh garbage man, who’s regretful about how his life turned out. Davis plays Troy’s wife, Rose.
The trailer is powerfully persuasive, opening with a scene of Troy admonishing his son that’s intercut with flashes from the rest of the film, before concluding with an explosive outburst from Davis.
The drama has long been pegged as one of a handful of 2016 releases that have the potential to make sure #OscarsSoWhite doesn’t resurface for a third time. With a 16 December release date, Paramount Pictures is clearly betting Fences is a contender.
This marks Washington’s third outing as director, following Antwone Fisher and The Great Debaters. As an actor, he’s won two Oscars (for Training Day and Glory); he’s been nominated an additional four times. Davis has two nominations to her name, for The Help and Doubt.
