Denzel Washington expected to star in McQuarrie's thriller

Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists have green‑lit an untitled thriller directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Denzel Washington. The film is scheduled to open in theaters on October 1, 2027. The script was written by Scott Barkan and Gregg Zehentner. The logline describes a former police detective serving a life sentence who, after learning he has terminal brain cancer, is granted compassionate release for six months and returns to his estranged daughter and a grandson he never knew existed.

Premise and Logline

The thriller follows the detective’s attempt to make amends, but his past resurfaces, keeping him from moving on.

McQuarrie will co‑produce with Heather McQuarrie; United Artists will be represented by Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt. Hungry Bull Productions’ Joseph Restaino, Mainstay Entertainment’s Reza Moheet and Norman Aladjem, and Katia Washington and Tommy Harper will also serve as producers. Executive producers on the project are Tony Stopperan, Tim Honigman and Joe Guest.

Washington recently returned to the stage in “Othello” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and appeared in Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest.” The role follows a cancelled Netflix project, “Hannibal,” that was dropped over budget concerns. Washington is slated to appear in Netflix’s “The Take” in 2027.

McQuarrie is best known for directing the last four “Mission: Impossible” films, concluding with “The Final Reckoning.” He began his career with an Oscar‑winning screenplay for “The Usual Suspects” and has directed “The Way of the Gun” and “Jack Reacher.” The Amazon MGM thriller marks a return to crime‑drama after a decade in action franchises.