Tenet Star John David Washington Joins Margot Robbie and Christian Bale for Next Film by David O. Russell

Fresh off an appearance in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, actor John David Washington has found his next project. Deadline reports that Washington has been enlisted to star in the new film from five time Oscar nominee David O. Russell. The cast for the film is a regular Who’s Who of DC stars, with Washington joining Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn) in the film’s cast. No title or logline has been revealed for the movie, which is based on an idea by Russell. Production will begin in Los Angeles in January and the film will be released by 20th Century Studios.

Though with just a short career under his belt so far, Washington has had the opportunity to work with plenty of high profile filmmakers and actors. His breakout role was in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, but he’s also appeared in David Lowery’s The Old Man & the Gun and opposite Dwayne Johnson on five seasons of HBO’s Ballers. He’ll next be seen in Malcolm & Marie, a film from Sam Levinson where he stars with Zendaya which was shot during the middle of the coronavirus pandemic and which will premiere on Netflix.

Despite his high profile appearances, Washintgon previously told ComicBook.com he’s willing to join the Marvel or DC universes, even though he’s never been approached for either. In another interview he opened up about what he’d aim for in those types of parts:

“There’s so many. I think it depends on who’s asking, what director wants to do it with me,” Washington told Nerd Reactor when asked to name a character he hopes to play. “We’ll see, I want to stay open. I don’t want to box myself in.”

He continued, “Maybe there’s characters that haven’t been mentioned yet, or maybe even developed, that haven’t been introduced in any of the films yet. I’d like to see what they come up with, if I ever get asked.”

Washington was also asked what he’d reply with if approached by Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige for a leading role in a rebooted Fantastic Four, Washington answered, “I’d say, ‘Well, thank you for having me, thank you for taking this meeting. Where do I sign?’”

Rumors from earlier in the year claimed Marvel was eyeing Washington, as well as The Office star and frequent fan-cast John Krasinski, for the lead role of Reed Richards in Fantastic Four. Richards is the big-brained leader of the superhero family, whose powers of superhuman malleability allow him to stretch his body almost as far as his vast intellect.