The Equalizer 3 First Look Reunites Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning After Man on Fire

During its CinemaCon panel on Monday night, Sony Pictures released the first footage frp, The Equalizer 3, billed as the final chapter in Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua's series that started in 2014. The movie will send Washington's Robert McCall to Italy, with a tagline that says "justice knows no borders." It's an interesting shift for a movie franchise that was so small-scale in previous outings, with movies taking place within relatively small geographical areas. It also features an appearance by Dakota Fanning, who previously appeared in Man on Fire with Washington. There's no indication yet whether her character will be the person Washington is helping -- or maybe the antagonist, which would be a fun inversion of their prior relationship.

ComicBook.com is on-hand at CinemaCon, recapping all of the panels beginning with Sony's Monday presentation. You can check out the description of the footage from The Equalizer 3 below. The official trailer is arriving on Tuesday.

"Fuqua presents CinemaCon's Lifetime Achievement A\ward to Denzel Washington, teeing up a reel of the actor. 'I've been blessed beyond measure and this is just another example of it,' Washington declares. He goes on to bring Dakota Fanning, who he co-starred with in Man on Fire and will reunite with for Equalizer 3, to the stage. Fanning shared her excitement for the upcoming film and can't find the words to describe an opportunity to work with Washington twice. The first trailer for Equalizer 3 plays, the film due in theaters in September. The footage is loaded with expected Equalizer action, including Washington's hero predicting the number of seconds it will take to beat the men around him."

Gaia Scodellaro (Promises), Eugenio Mastrandrea (From Scratch), Remo Girone (Ford v Ferrari), Sonia Ammar (Scream), Daniele Perrone (Baaria), Andrea Scarduzio (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), and Andrea Dodero (Blocco 181) are all set to appear alongside Washington and Fanning.

Fuqua spoke with /Film last year, and teased that the threequel will give a little bit of insight into Robert's backstory -- something that has been largely mysterious not just in the movies, but in the original TV show as well. The director also teased some early setting and production details, saying, "We're shooting it in Italy, so that'd be fun. We're going to scout now. Sardinia, probably show up somewhere up the Amalfi Coast. Also, trying to find some small villages, seaside villages, things like that, and then we'll be in Sicily and Naples."

The Equalizer is based on the 1980s TV series of the same title, which centers on a highly-skilled operative who makes up for the violence in past by donating his skills to bring justice to those in need. After the success of the Washington movies, CBS rolled out a revitalized TV version in 2021, starring Queen Latifah as Robyn McCall.

"I am absolutely excited and love the fact that Denzel made this a relevant product again because I did watch the original series as a kid," Latifah said last year during the Television Critics' Association. "What Denzel did with the feature films has been incredible. If anything, he set a bar in a way but also gave us a lot of room to go a completely different direction."  

Denzel Washington will reprise his role as Robert McCall, marking the third outing for the character. He will be joined in the cast by Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning and Gala Scodellaro. Antoine Fuqua will once again be directing the new Equalizer with a screenplay from Richard Wenk. 

The Equalizer 3 will be in theaters in September.