Twenty-three years after he played a no-nonsense lawyer opposite Tom Hanks inPhiladelphia, Denzel Washington might soon be heading back to courtroom.
EW can confirm the two-time Oscar-winning actor is in talks to star in Dan Gilroys legal dramaInner City, the writer-directors follow-up to his critically-acclaimed indie thriller,Nightcrawler.
Varietyreports Gilroys original script is similar in tone to Sidney Lumets 1982 classicThe Verdict, in which Paul Newman plays a lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case to trial as he attempts to save his own career.
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A source close to the film tells EW several studios are circling the project, which will be formally shopped after Labor Day, though none have yet to officially come aboard.
Jennifer Fox, the Oscar-nominated producer of films likeMichael ClaytonandWe Need to Talk About Kevin, will also produceInner City.
Fox previously worked with Gilroy onNightcrawler, which grossed $32.4 million domestically on an $8.5 million budget and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed, and Rene Russo.
Washington can next be seen inThe Magnificent Seven, which isset to kick off the upcoming Toronto International Film Festivalin September.
Later this year, he toplines (and directs)Fences, Paramounts prospective awards contender based on a play by August Wilson, opposite Viola Davis.
