Sartaj Singh
Isaiah Washington has landed his sophomore directorial gig! The Cinemaholic has learned that the actor-director will helm the family drama ‘Cousins.’ Principal photography for the movie will take place in Louisville, Kentucky, between November 11 and November 27, 2024. The main cast of the project has yet to be announced, but Washington is confirmed to star in a supporting role.
The plot revolves around two different pairs of cousins who grew up in Georgia under contrasting household situations. The narrative follows Jessica, a gorgeous Italian American woman with close ties to the Mafia. Her cousin, Mario, is a young mob boss with a history of fixing MMA fights who has been hardened through jail time. Jessica keeps a secret from the world: she is a vigilante with a troubled past who brings down perpetrators of child trafficking and pedophilia in her city.
In the film, Jessica crosses paths with Bobby Martin, a former MMA fighter struggling to keep his gym in Atlanta financially afloat. As the connection between the two grows, they must confront the anger of Jessica’s family and her enemies. Mario is enraged at a Black man dating his cousin and teeters on the edge of violence when the latter refuses to back down. Bobby’s cousin, Will Washington, is dragged into the conflict. He is a white man and hails from a different background, but he shares a deep bond of brotherhood and mutual understanding with Bobby.
Washington will play a government agent who hires a woman who delves into the child trafficking operations of different cartels. As casting for the project progresses, the filmmaker seeks to prioritize authenticity, looking for actors of the appropriate ethnicity and with attributes to match their characters.
Washington made his directorial debut with the 2022 Western film, ‘Corsicana,’ in which he also starred as Deputy Sheriff Bass Reeves. As an actor, he is known for portraying Dr. Preston Burke in ABC’s famed medical drama ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ Antoine Sartain in the buddy cop movie ‘Hollywood Homicide,’ and Thelonious Jaha in The CW’s post-apocalyptic series ‘The 100.’ His other credits include ‘Ghost Ship,’ ‘Out of Sight,’ Starz’s ‘P-Valley,’ and ‘Blackbird.’
Louisville, Kentucky, is expected to provide both modern urban neighborhoods and historical charm for the project. The city is also known for its film-friendly environment and has drawn notable productions for filming, including ‘Muzzle,’ ‘Desperation Road,’ ‘The Art of Self-Defense,’ and ‘Cops.’
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