Wasn't this supposed to be an hbo film?
With the other 9 Wilson plays following? What happened?
shareI found this article on Fences just published today. Towards the end, Denzel talks a bit about his deal with HBO to adapt the other nine of Wilxon's ten-play Pittsburgh Cycle.
http://www.post-gazette.com/ae/movies/2017/01/02/Denzel-Washington-on-Fences-and-his-next-nine-August-Wilson-plays/stories/201612050201
I think this line in particular may provide a hint as to what happened...
After doing “Fences” on Broadway and then readying the adaptation for film, Mr. Washington was approached by the playwright’s estate to take charge of the entire Wilson canon.
If one reads between the lines, that fact that Denzel was approached by Wilson's estate while he was already working on the film production of Fences is a pretty good indicator that one studio already owned the film rights to Fences while HBO got the screen rights to the other nine plays. share