Denzel Washington is returning to Broadway, and he is set to portray William Shakespeare’s tragic African general, Othello, in a new production opposite Jake Gyllenhaal. Producer Brian Anthony Moreland announced that Washington and Gyllenhaal will star in the Kenny Leon-directed production of Othello . While Washington will play Othello, Gyllenhaal will star as Iago, the nemesis in Othello’s life who brings him and his marriage to ruin. Not many details have been revealed as of yet, but we do know that the production will begin in the spring of 2025. This isn’t Washington’s first foray into Shakespeare. Washington starred in Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 film Much Ado About Nothing , also starring Branagh, Emma Thompson, Keanu Reeves and Michael Keaton. Washington also starred in the Apple TV+ film The Tragedy of Macbeth , directed by Joel Coen and co-starring Frances McDonald and Alex Hassell. Washington will also play another African general, Hannibal, in an upcoming film by Antoine Fuqua.
