AceShowbiz -

Forest Whitaker will make his debut on Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's two-person drama "Hughie". The "Taken 3" actor will star as Erie Smith, a drunken, small-time hustler and longtime resident of a midtown hotel on the West Side of Manhattan who laments the recent death of the hotel's night clerk Hughie with tall tales of his past glory days.

Directed by Michael Grandage ("Red"), "Hughie" will play in a Schubert Theatre to be announced in spring 2016. Darren Baggert, Michael Grandage Company and the Schubert Organization will serve as producers. The second role in the drama, the hotel's new night clerk, has yet to be cast.

This the fourth "Hughie" to be shown in Broadway. Jason Robards played the role of Erie in the first Broadway production in 1964. In 1975, Ben Gazzara received a Tony for the role. Al Pacino later starred in a 1996 revival of the two-character drama at the Circle in the Square Theatre.

Forest joins a starry roster of actors taking their Broadway debut this season including, Keira Knightley, Bruce Willis, Clive Owen, Jennifer Hudson, Marlee Matlin, Ben Whishaw, Saoirse Ronan, George Takei and Mark Strong.

The Oscar-winning actor recently won critical acclaim for his role as Jake Gyllenhaal's boxing trainer in "Southpaw". He is currently filming "Star Wars Rogue One" alongside Felicity Jones and Mads Mikkelsen.