Teyonah Parris is set to star opposite Denzel Washington in Amazon MGM Studios and United Artists’ untitled thriller directed by Christopher McQuarrie, Deadline reports exclusively. Written by Scott Barkan and Gregg Zehentner, the film is set for theatrical release October 1, 2027.
As previously reported, the thriller follows a former police detective serving a life sentence who’s diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Granted compassionate release with six months to live, he returns home to the estranged daughter he left behind and a grandson he never knew existed, hoping to make amends before his past catches up with him. Parris fills that central role as Washington’s daughter, a part previously reported as still uncast just ahead of production.
McQuarrie produces alongside Heather McQuarrie, Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt for United Artists, Joseph Restaino for Hungry Bull Productions, Reza Moheet and Norman Aladjem for Mainstay Entertainment, Katia Washington, and Tommy Harper. The film adds to an already packed United Artists slate under Stuber, which includes Lizard Music with Dwayne Johnson and Benny Safdie, a new Highlander starring Henry Cavill, Michael Mann’s Heat 2, and The Mandela Catalogue with Amblin Entertainment.
Parris has built significant momentum since breakout roles in Marvel’s WandaVision and They Cloned Tyrone. She most recently starred as Charmaine in Apple Original Films’ Matchbox alongside John Cena and Jessica Biel, and has also joined the cast of Gavin O’Connor’s drama Running, alongside Spike Fearn, Brian Tyree Henry, and Rhea Seehorn, as well as Don’t Go Gentle, a contemporary drama exploring identity, home, and legacy, in which she’ll play Ellen. She’s also expressed interest in returning to the MCU as Monica Rambeau, though no official timeline has been confirmed.
Washington recently returned to Broadway in Othello opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and starred in Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest. He’s next set to appear in Netflix’s The Take alongside Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones, also slated for 2027.