Netflix Pauses Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua’s Hannibal War Movie Over Budget Concerns

Netflix has paused pre-production on Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington‘s “Hannibal” film.

The historical epic was planning to shoot later this year in Italy, with Fuqua directing and Washington starring as the Carthaginian general. However, pre-production has been put on pause while the producers, including Fuqua and Washington, and the studio hammer out budgetary concerns. The hope is for the project to move forward at Netflix once the concerns are addressed.

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Fuqua is set to direct from a script by Oscar winner John Logan (“The Aviator” and “Gladiator”). Washington is producing the film alongside Erik Olsen, Adam Goldworm, Todd Black, Clayton Townsend and Fuqua via his Hill District Media’s first-look deal with Netflix. Scott Greenberg, Kat Samick, Katia Washington, Frank Moll and Jeremy Lott are the executive producers. Variety exclusively reported that the production would be largely based at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios.

The Hannibal project will mark Fuqua’s sixth collaboration with Washington, who won an Oscar for Fuqua’s “Training Day” in 2001. They most recently paired on 2023’s “The Equalizer 3,” which also shot primarily in Italy. Fuqua is currently riding high on the box office success of his latest film, the Michael Jackson biopic “Michael,” which has grossed more than $800 million worldwide.

Deadline first reported the production delay.

More to come…