Denzel Washington Confirms The Equalizer 3 to Begin Filming This Year

It’s been four years since The Equalizer 2 was released, marking the first time ever that Oscar winner Denzel Washington had reprised a role for a sequel, and now he’s gearing up for another go at bat. Speaking with Blackfilmandtv.com, Washington confirmed that he’ll be reuniting with director Antoine Fuqua for a the third feature film with production scheduled to begin later this year. In the time since Washington last played the character the series, based on the 1980s TV show, has already been rebooted for the small screen with Queen Latifah taking on the title role. It seems unlikely that the movies and shows will have crossover with each other.

Speaking with Collider, Washington further confirmed work on the third Equalizer film, saying: “They have written the third Equalizer, so I’m scheduled to do that. So I gotta get in shape and start beating people up again. I get to beat people up again. The tragedy of Macbeth and then going and beating some people up. Can’t get any better, right?” Screenwriter Richard Wenk previously penned the script for the first two Equalizer movies starring Washington but his involvement in the third movie has not yet been confirmed.

Details about the next movie weren’t immediately announced by the studio or Washington, but Fuqua previously expressed interest in an international adventure.

“In my mind, there’s a European adventure, absolutely,” Fuqua told Collider in 2018. “In my mind, that’s what I’d like, to see him in Europe, in the future. God willing.”

A big feature film reboot of The Equalizer was in the works for several years before Washington became attached, with Russell Crowe having previously been attached to play the part. The first film in the new series debuted in 2014 to decent reviews but tremendous box office success, bringing in over $190 million worldwide. After the success of the first film though the sequel was released four years later in 2018. Even though it had a lower critical reception it had a nearly identical commercial success, making it kind of an anomaly in Hollywood. 

The upcoming third Equalizer movie will mark the fifth collaboration between Washington and Fuqua. In addition to the other two Equalizer movies they worked together on 2001’s Training Day, which nabbed the actor his second Academy Award, and 2016’s reboot of The Magnificent Seven.