Sophie Okenedo, Anika Noni Rose to Join Denzel Washington in RAISIN IN THE SUN Revival?

Showbiz411 reports exclusively that Denzel Washington will be joined by actresses Sophie Okenedo and Anika Noni Rose in an upcoming Broadway revival of A Raisin in the Sun set for next spring. Kenny Leon will helm the project which will be produced by Scott Rudin.

Washington will take on the role of Walter Younger, the hero of playwright Lorrain Hansberry's masterpiece. The project will mark a reunion of the actor with Rudin, who produced the Washington-led revival of August Wilson's Fences in 2010.

According to the site's Roger Friedman, Sophie Okenedo and Anika Noni Rose will play either Walter Younger's wife or sister, leaving Walter's mother as the only remaining uncast role.

In A Raisin in the Sun, a family's shared dream for a better life may be, not only deferred, but destroyed by conflicting aspirations, betrayal and racism. Lorraine Hansberry's classic drama continues to shine an unflinching spotlight on America's struggle to overcome its past, while paying tribute to those courageous enough to shape a future filled with an abiding faith, in the decency of the human spirit.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN originally opened on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre in 1959 and starred Sidney Poitier (Walter Lee Younger), Ruby Dee (Ruth Younger), Diana Sands (Beneatha Younger) and Claudia McNeil (Lena Younger). In 2004, the Broadway revival production opened at the Royale Theatre and starred Sean Combs (Walter Lee Younger), Audra McDonald (Ruth Younger) and Phylicia Rashad (Lena Younger).

Washington made his Broadway debut in Checkmates (1988). His other theatre credits include Fences, Richard III, The Mighty Gents, Ceremonies in Dark Old Men, When the Chickens Come Home to Roost and A Soldier's Play, for which he won an Obie. He is a two-time Academy Award winner for his performances in Training Day and Glory, and received Oscar nominations for his performances in The Hurricane, Malcolm X and Cry Freedom. His latest film, Flight, was released last year.