In September 2017 , Washington was cast in the lead role of detective Ron Stallworth , in Spike Lee 's thriller '' BlacKkKlansman '' , based on Stallworth 's memoir . The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival , where it premiered on May 14 . It did not win the Palme d'Or , but was awarded the Grand Prix by the festival jury . The film began a U.S. theatrical release on August 10 , 2018 , a date chosen to coincide with the one year anniversary of the Charlottesville rally . The film was a commercial success , and earned Washington both Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination
2018 Cannes Film Festival
2018 Cannes Film Festival
John David Washington