UPDATE: If only Lloyd Richards were still around… Via a live stream of a conversation between Denzel Washington and Dr Todd Boyd happening at USC School of Cinematic Arts as I type this, Washington just revealed that, in addition to the below previously-announced film adaptation of August Wilson’s "Fences" (which he’ll star in – along with Viola Davis – and direct), he’s inked a deal with HBO that will see him bring to the screen, Wilson’s American Century Cycle series, which consists of 10 plays portraying the 20th century African American experience, from the early 1900s, just after slavery and the Civil War, to the 1990s, which saw a large and increasingly influential black middle class still having to contend with persistent racial tensions.

Washington shared that the deal with HBO will see him produce all 10 plays for the cable TV network, 1 a year, for the next 10 years, starting, of course, with "Fences," which he said he’ll be directing next spring (2016).

The list of 10 plays follows:

1. 1900s "Gem of the Ocean" – A young man from Alabama visits Aunt Ester, a 285-year-old renowned cleanser of souls for help in absolving the guilt he carries from a crime he’s committed.

2. 1910s "Joe Turner’s Come and Gone" – Set in Pittsburgh, the story of Seth and Bertha Holly and the migrants who pass through their boardinghouse during the Great Migration of the 1910s.

3. 1920s "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom" – Set in Chicago in 1927, the play explores issues of race, art, religion and the historic exploitation of black recording artists by white producers.

4. 1930s "The Piano Lesson" – Set in 1936 Pittsburgh, the story of a brother and sister who have different ideas on what to do with the piano they own – keep or sell it.

5. 1940s "Seven Guitars" – The story of a blues singer just released from prison and ready to right the past year’s wrongs.

6. 1950s "Fences" – Set in 1950s Pittsburgh, the story of Troy Maxson, a restless trash-collector and former baseball athlete struggling to provide for his family.

7. 1960s "Two Trains Running" – The story of a local diner owner who fights to stay open as a municipal project encroaches on his establishment.

8. 1970s "Jitney" – Set in a worn-down gypsy cab station in Pittsburgh, the story of men hustling to make a living as jitneys — unofficial and unlicensed taxi cabs.

9. 1980s "King Hedley II" – The story of an ex-convict trying to rebuild his life by selling stolen refrigerators so that he can save enough money to buy a video store.

10. 1990s "Radio Golf" – A powerful African American politician runs for the highest office of his career, but as he steps into prominence, his plans collide with his past.

Nothing else to share at this time. But the live stream continues, so click here to watch it if you’re not already.

The "Fences" announcement (initially announced last month) follows below

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Viola Davis, who won a Tony award for her performance in the 2010 Broadway production of "Fences," has revealed that she will appear in a screen adaptation of the August Wilson play.

“They are making ‘Fences,’ August Wilson’s play, into a feature that Denzel Washington is directing and I’m going to be in,” Davis told The New York Times in a profile published just 2 days ago.

By the way, she co-starred with Denzel Washington in the 2010 Broadway production, which was directed by Kenny Leon (both Davis and Washington won Tony Awards for their performances).

The age-old story on a long-stalled film adaptation of August Wilson’s award-winning play is that, the playwright insisted to the studio (Paramount Pictures at the time – this was in the late 1980s when talk of a film adaptation all began) that the director of the film be black.

Of course Paramount didn’t feel that was necessary, stating that they wanted "the best director for the job." Even Eddie Murphy, who was then attached to star in, and co-produce the film adaptation, told Wilson that he wasn’t going to hire a director just because he/she was black. 

Wilson reiterated that he wasn’t suggesting that a black director be hired simply because they are black, rather a black director who was qualified for the job. 

But this wasn’t a clause in the original agreement between Wilson and Paramount, so the studio wasn’t legally bound to adhere to Wilson’s wishes (however they realized well enough that a film adaptation of "Fences" without Wilson’s blessing, wasn’t something that they wanted to do). While seeming to be taking Wilson’s wishes under strong consideration, the studio approached Barry Levinson to helm the film; obviously, Levinson isn’t black. 

Needless to say, Wilson didn’t approve. Although Levinson backed away from the project anyway, after he saw the play himself, stating that he didn’t think it would translate well to the screen – at least, not the version of the script that Wilson had written. Wilson’s public objections to a white director helming the project were also of some influence.

So the project stalled. 

Wilson continued to publicly express his frustration about the number of films that tell stories about black people that were/are directed by whites, arguing that "whites have set themselves up as custodians of our experience." 

Sound familiar? 

There’s a really good piece on this in the New York Times (it was actually written in January 1991, not-so-long after all the above transpired). It details the journey the adaptation took, and all the different players who were involved at different times. 

In fact, it’s said that at one point, Bill Duke was a front-runner for the directing job. And even Warrington Hudlin was approached, not to direct, but to come up with a short list of black directors at the time, who were qualified for the job. Hudlin provided 12 names which included directors like Gordon Parks, Charles Burnett and Spike Lee. Certainly they all would’ve been qualified.

But, apparently, Paramount wasn’t interested in any of them at the time.

There were a lot of opinions sought on this, including Norman Jewison’s, who recalls his own experiences attempting to direct an adaptation of "The Confessions of Nat Turner" in the late 1960s, which was met with much opposition from the black community, in part because he was white, and also, more importantly, because the book distorted Turner’s story. Of course, Jewison would face a similar opposition when he sought to direct Malcolm X’s bio.

The New York Times article paints a picture of a charged debate between all those involved (James Earl Jones, who starred in the 1987 premiere of "Fences" on Broadway, was one of those voices), with Wilson standing firm, and never wavering. 

Ultimately, the studio film adaptation never got made, although the play continued to thrive on the stage, throughout the country. 

Skip ahead to 2010 when Denzel Washington and Viola Davis starred in a Broadway revival of the play, directed by Kenny Leon, both giving strong performances that would earn them the highest honor in the theatre world, the Tony Award.

But what may not be universally known is that, when producer Scott Rudin first approached Denzel Washington about "Fences," he sent him August Wilson’s screenplay adaptation of the play, suggesting that Denzel star and direct the film version of it. Denzel, a lover of the stage, first and foremost, and who also wanted to direct, felt that he needed to do the play first, before attempting a film adaptation. Rudin obviously was ok with that, Kenny Leon was hired to direct, Viola Davis came onboard to co-star, and the rest is history. 

So now that he’s gotten the stage version out of his system, it looks like Denzel is now ready to return to "Fences" as Rudin apparently originally wanted – to direct a filmed version of it (and maybe co-star with Viola Davis again). After all, in the end, he’ll be meeting the late August Wilson’s criteria that a black director helm the film.

As for when this might happen, obviously several different elements have to line up – most notably financing.

Will a studio finally back an Adaptation of "Fences" with a black director? Well, it’s Denzel, and he is a *name* with a lengthy track record, so I’d say the chances this time are probably higher than they were with any of the black directors who were being considered 25 years ago.

The times have also changed a bit… or have they?

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Here’s the full conversation with Washington in which he revealed the above HBO deal.