Viola Davis Joins Steve McQueen Heist Thriller ‘Widows’
Today is a great day to beViola Davis. Well, actually, every day is probably a great day to be Viola Davis, because she gets to wake up each morning as one of the most reliably excellent actors currently working. But today especially, everything’s coming up Davis.
This morning Paramount Pictures debuted the first trailer for Denzel Washington’sFences, featuring what looks like another powerhouse performance from Davis. Now this afternoon, we have word she’s lined up her next new project:Widows, a heist thriller directed by12 Years a SlavehelmerSteve McQueen, who will also pen the script withGone GirlwriterGillian Flynn.
Variety reported on the Viola Davis Steve McQueen project.Widowsis based on the 2002 British miniseries of the same title created byLynda La Plante. The story follows the wives of four armed robbers. When the men are killed during their latest heist, the widows step up to finish what their husbands started. Davis' specific role has not been revealed, though it seems reasonable to assume she’ll play one of the widows.
While Davis is the only actress linked to the project so far, we can probably expect more high-profile stars to sign on down the road. The combination of McQueen, Flynn, and now Davis basically guaranteesWidowswill get a lot of attention and maybe even some awards buzz. Indeed, Variety notes that the production once courted Jennifer Lawrence for one of the widow roles, though she ultimately turned it down due to scheduling conflicts.
Davis was recently seen inSuicide Squad, where her Amanda Waller emerged as one of the best parts of an otherwise extremely sloppy movie. Her next big-screen role is inFences, in which she reprises a role that has already won her a Tony. And she can currently be seen in ABC’sHow to Get Away With Murder. The show itself is a mess, but (just as withSuicide Squad) Davis has an impressive ability to remain watchable no matter how uneven the movie or show around her is.
Widowswill be McQueen’s first feature since the 2014 Best Picture winner12 Years a Slave, though he’s been working on a few other projects since then. One of those wasCodes of Conduct, a promising-sounding HBO miniseries described as “Six Degrees of SeparationmeetsShame.” But the network pulled the plug on the project earlier this year, freeing McQueen to turn his attention toWidows. Flynn also had a recent brush with HBO. She was originally planning to reunite withGone Girldirector David Fincher forUtopia, but that project stalled at the networklast year.
