Denzel Washington is one of the few Hollywood actors left with the clout and popularity to carry any project himself, which is why he hasn’t had to take a role in a franchise to earn a paycheck. In fact, the Oscar winner was reportedly offered a role in Universal’s next Fast & Furious film, but turned it down.
In the middle of a lengthy post about franchises in Hollywood, Deadline’s Mike Fleming revealed that Washington was offered a small role in Fast & Furious 7 with the caveat being that it would grow into a larger role for Fast & Furious 8.
So now Universal is stuck looking for a Washington-level star and there aren’t that many like him left in Hollywood. As EW notes, it is interesting that Universal would be looking for another actor with his type of clout, considering the franchise already has two big stars - Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Vin Diesel. In fact, those two actors helped Fast & Furious 6 become a surprise hit this year, grossing over $740 million worldwide.
Fast & Furious 7 is already scheduled for July 2014 and will be directed by The Conjuring’s James Wan. As for Washington, you can see him in 2 Guns with Mark Wahlberg this weekend.
image: Universal