Denzel Washington’s Forgotten ‘Se7en’ Replacement Is Now Among Netflix’s Most-Watched

Denzel Washington has publicly admitted more than once that he regrets turning down Se7en. But did you know that Washington has starred in at least three movies across three decades that were very clearly influenced by David Fincher’s neo-noir classic? Washington was approached to play the role that eventually went to Brad Pitt, but he told Jamie Foxx in an interview that he found Andrew Kevin Walker’s script “too demonic.” When he watched the movie, he realized immediately that he “blew it.” The film became a word-of-mouth sensation, grossing around $330 million worldwide and launching Fincher’s career. Washington’s efforts to make up for the mistake began only a few years after Se7en’s release; the latest in this streak of knockoffs was released five years ago, and it’s now seeing a spike in viewership on Netflix.

Washington’s streak of Se7en replacements began in 1998 with the movie Fallen, in which he played a detective tormented by a demon who taunts him by copying the crimes of a killer he put away. Directed by Gregory Hoblit, Fallen was a box-office bomb, grossing $25 million against a reported budget of $46 million. The movie is now sitting at a 41% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. The second movie in Washington’s Se7en-inspired run was The Bone Collector, in which he played a detective again. This time, he partnered with a younger investigator played by Angelina Jolie, and together they pursue a serial killer in New York. The Bone Collector did far better than Fallen, grossing more than $150 million against a reported budget of $48 million.

Denzel Washington’s 2021 Thriller Received Mixed Reviews

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But we’re here to talk about the third film of this streak: The Little Things. Released day-and-date on HBO Max and in theaters as part of Warner Bros.’ disastrous “Project Popcorn,” the movie featured Washington as — you guessed it — a detective tracking a serial killer. This time, the action unfolds in Los Angeles. Also featuring Rami Malek and Jared Leto, the movie received mixed reviews. It’s now sitting at a 44% score on Rotten Tomatoes, where the consensus reads, “An exceptionally well-cast throwback thriller, The Little Things will feel deeply familiar to genre fans — for better and for worse.” Washington reportedly received as much as $40 million for the role — allegedly because the studio released the film day-and-date on HBO Max, a distribution strategy he had not agreed to. According to FlixPatrol, it’s currently among the most-watched titles globally on Netflix.