Denzel Washington's previous directing efforts, Antwone Fisher and The Great Debaters met with positive critical response even though they didn't smash up the box office, which wasn't really necessary since they're both small, character-driven dramas.  It's been six years since Washington got behind the camera, but it looks like he's eyeing the director's chair for an adaptation of August Wilson's play Fences.  In 2010, Washington co-starred in the Broadway revival alongside Viola Davis, and won the Best Actor Tony for his work.

Hit the jump for more.

Washington tells Empire [via Hitfix] about Fences:

"It reawakened me about the work, and my commitment to the work," he told Empire of taking on the role. "I said to myself: 'I've got to dig deeper. The reason I did 'Fences' is that Scott Rudin sent me the script August Wilson wrote - the only one of his plays that he wrote as a screenplay - to act and direct. I really do want to direct [the film version]."

Per Hitfix, "Set in the 1950s, Fences centers on 53-year-old Troy Maxon, an urban trash collector haunted by his unfulfilled dream of becoming a baseball star."  It's unknown if Washington would act in the film or if Davis would reprise her role, but it would be wonderful to see them on screen for those who never saw them together on Broadway.

While Washington has stuck mostly to action films, he was recently nominated for Best Actor for his dramatic performance in Robert Zemeckis' Flight.  The two-time Oscar winner will next be seen opposite Mark Wahlberg in the action flick 2 Guns.