Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington

Denzel Washington is eyeing the starring role in Dan Gilroy’s legal drama “Inner City,” the writer/director’s follow-up to his critically-acclaimed indie thriller, “Nightcrawler.”

With comparisons being made to Sidney Lumet’s 1982 classic “The Verdict,” in which Paul Newman plays a lawyer who attempts to save his own career by taking on a medical malpractice case, Washington is circling the lead role as an attorney dealing with a major change at his company.  That’s all we know about the project at this time, as casting on the project continues.

Apparently the project, which isn’t set up at any studio yet, is generating early buzz ahead of the upcoming Toronto film market, which happens during the Toronto International Film Festival which kicks off in 2 days, where it will be formally shopped to buyers.




Jennifer Fox, who produced Gilroy’s brother Tony Gilroy’s “Michael Clayton” and Lynne Ramsay’s “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (both critically-acclaimed dramas) will also produce “Inner City.”

Washington can next be seen in “The Magnificent Seven,” which is set to open the Toronto International Film Festival this week. He also stars in and directs “Fences,” Paramount’s likely Oscar contender, based on the play by August Wilson, which opens in December.