Denzel Washington has a thing for trains. This summer he’ll try to stop John Travolta from hijacking one in Taking of Pelham 123, and now Variety says he’s in negotiations to star as a train engineer in the Tony Scott movie Unstoppable.

The movie’s plot sounds like something lifted from a leftover Steven Seagal script, but is actually loosely based on something true. Denzel would play a wiley, experienced train engineer who leaps into a locomotive with a young conductor to chase down and stop a runaway train full of toxic chemicals. If it were 1982 the Russians would surely be involved, but since it’s not they aren’t and so Denzel may not have to actually punch anyone.

If it happens, this will be the fifth time Tony Scott has directed Denzel Washington. Though Scott’s track record as a director is somewhat spotty, his batting average with Denzel is surprisingly good. Crimson Tide is by far the best of the bunch (See it for Viggo!) but even Déjà vu was pretty good.