Denzel Washington

A sequel to Denzel Washington's NAACP Image Award nominated film "Inside Man" has reportedly received the green light from Universal.   Directed by Spike Lee, the project, tentatively entitled Inside Man 2 will pick up on the characters and dynamic but not the storyline of the original. The first "Inside Man," which was penned by Russell Gewirtz, centered on a standoff between a bank robber and a hostage negotiator (Denzel Washington) at a New York bank.   According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lee says the film will continue the relationship between the two main characters (Denzel Washington and Clive Owens) but in a new high-tension situation. "I want the script to be even better than Russell's, and Russell wrote a really good script," he said. Denzel Washington and Clive Owen are interested in re-teaming for the project, Lee said, speaking from the Toronto International Film Festival, where he was in town to promote the Babelgum Online Film Festival as well as his upcoming WWII pic "Miracle at St. Anna."   The original "Inside Man," also from Universal, scored Lee his biggest opening weekend, and went on to earn more than $175 million worldwide when it was released in the spring of 2006.