By Josh Tarpley
Between Venice, Telluride, New York, AFI and countless other regional film festivals, Oscar watchers are paying attention to studios to see what movie do and don’t show up in the coming weeks. Though a November release date had already been set, it has been confirmed that Dan Gilroy’s legal drama, “Roman Israel, Esq.” will make its debut this month at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Denzel Washington and Colin Farrell and has the possibility of being a major player this year.
Click beyond the jump to read more about “Roman Israel, Esq.”
In our pre-festival predictions, many Next Best Picture contributors have “Roman Israel, Esq.” showing up in our predictions for Picture, Actor and Screenplay. Assuming the film is of the same quality of 2014’s “Nightcrawler,” there is some real momentum for Gilroy and company as we head into the awards race. Many felt “Nightcrawler” (specifically Jake Gyllenhaal) was overlooked that year, though it was able to pick up an Original Screenplay nomination for Gilroy.
With Denzel Washington in the lead role and a TIFF premiere on the books, it seems as though Columbia Pictures is confident in their period piece. Legal dramas lend themselves to very showy screenplays/monologues and “Nightcrawler” proved that Gilroy has a strong talent for directing his own material.
Check out the synopsis for “Roman Israel, Esq.” below:
“A liberal lawyer named Roman J. Israel has been fighting the good fight while others take the credit. When his partner, the firm’s front man, has a heart attack, Israel suddenly takes on that role. He finds out some unsettling things about what the crusading law firm has done that run afoul of his values of helping the poor and dispossessed, and he finds himself in an existential crisis that leads to extreme action.”
“Roman Israel, Esq.” is set to hit theaters on November 3, 2017.
What do you all think? Will Gilroy and Washington earn themselves additional nominations this year? Are you still upset about how “Nightcrawler” was received by the Academy? Do you think Denzel should’ve won for “Fences” last year? Let us know in the comments below!
You can follow Josh and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @JoshTarpley7
