Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal are set to star in a new staging of William Shakespeare’s Othello on Broadway.
Washington, whose last appearance on stage was in 2018’s The Iceman Cometh, will play the title role, while Gyllenhaal, last seen in 2019’s Sea Wall/A Life will portray Iago.
The story tells of a man who tries to convince another that his wife is cheating on him. The third major role, Desdemona, has yet to be cast. A theatre has also yet to be confirmed.
The production will be directed by Kenny Leon, who won a Tony award for directing Washington in 2014’s A Raisin in the Sun. His recent credits also include Purlie Victorious and Ohio State Murders. It is set to premiere in spring next year.
Othello has not been on Broadway since 1982. Actors who have played Othello include Laurence Fishburne, James Earl Jones, Anthony Hopkins and Orson Welles.
Washington’s history with Shakespeare includes a lead role in the 2021 movie The Tragedy of Macbeth which scored him an Oscar nomination. He also starred in Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.
The Oscar-winning star of Training Day was most recently seen on screen in the hit sequel The Equalizer 2 and will next star alongside Paul Mescal in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2.
Gyllenhaal will next be seen leading Doug Liman’s remake of Road House and a miniseries based on Scott Turow’s hit legal thriller Presumed Innocent for Apple alongside Ruth Negga. The book had previously been turned into a film starring Harrison Ford.
Washington and Gyllenhaal are just two major Hollywood stars hitting Broadway over the next two years with plays also set to star Steve Carrell, Jeremy Strong, Rachel McAdams and Jessica Lange.
