John David Washington to Star in Christopher Nolan’s Next Film (EXCLUSIVE)

Christopher Nolan has tapped “BlacKkKlansman‘s” John David Washington to star in his next “event film,” sources tell Variety.

Nolan recently finished the script for the movie and Warner Bros. quickly dated it for July 17, 2020 — a slot the studio often reserves for the director, most recently with “Dunkirk.” Not only was the film a huge success at the box office bringing in $526 million at the worldwide Box Office but earned Nolan a Oscar nomination for director, his first in the category.

The gig has become one of the more highly coveted in town, even though most of the industry has been kept in the dark about who has been meeting for the role and what the movie is even about.

The plot details under lock and key. One insider described the pic as a massive, innovative, action blockbuster, which will again be shown in Imax.

Nolan is also producing along with his partner Emma Thomas. Production is set to commence later this year.

After breaking out in Dwayne Johnson’s hit HBO series “Ballers,” Washington is coming off a monster year on the film side, starting with his starring gig in “BlacKkKlansman,” which won best adapted screenplay at the Oscars. The role earned him rave reviews, as well as Golden Globe and SAG nominations for best actor. Washington also had strong performances in “The Old Man & the Gun” and “Monsters and Men.”

He is repped by WME.