Denzel Washington will be making his television directorial debut for the twelfth season of Grey's Anatomy. The award-winning actor will begin directing the ninth episode of the current twelfth instalment.
The episode will be written by Grey's Anatomy's head writer, Stacy McKee, and will begin filming later this month to be aired in November.
In the past, Washington has directed two films, including Antwone Fisher in 2002 and The Great Debaters in 2007.
The iconic actor and director is entering the series during a transitional time, following Patrick Dempsey's tragic exit from the show.The departure of his character, Derek Shepherd, has left Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) a single mother, leaving fans to wonder if she will spiral back into her self-destructive ways displayed in earlier seasons.
This may not be the case, however, as showrunner Shonda Rhimes told E! News earlier this year, "I have not planned to [introduce a new love interest for her] and that's not really the focus of what we're doing with her right now. Meredith is in a rebirth and she's evolving. I'm watching the character do what the character's doing and I'll see where it goes."