Denzel Washington Begins Filming New Action Thriller
Photos show the beginning of filming on Denzel Washington's The Equalizer 3.
Denzel Washington is back as the Equalizer. Filming for the second sequel in The Equalizer franchise has commenced, and we now have the first images from the set revealing Washington and co-star Dakota Fanning. The images are courtesy of the film’s official Twitter account and show Washington reuniting with his 2004’s Man of Fire co-star.
The Equalizer 3 is directed by Antoine Fuqua, who helmed the first two installments. Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall finds himself on a dangerous mission in Europe. When discussing what to expect from the action sequel, Fuqua teased that audiences may hopefully learn more about the mysterious Robert McCall.
Fuqua also said he’s wanted to take Denzel Washington’s character out of the U.S. and into a globe-trotting adventure for quite some time. The director said he plans to scout in Sardinia and hopefully find some small seaside villages. Just from the teases alone, it seems audiences are in for quite a different experience from the previous two entries.
As noted, The Equalizer 3 reunites Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning after the two worked together in 2004’s Man on Fire. Fuqua came up with the casting idea during a phone call with Washington. The two were talking about the late Tony Scott when the conversation turned to Fanning. Fuqua thought it would be an awesome idea to reunite Washington and Fanning for the upcoming sequel.
Man on Fire centered on Denzel Washington’s John Creasy; a former CIA SAD/SOG officer turned bodyguard who goes on a revenge mission after his nine-year-old charge is abducted in Mexico City. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics when it came out. Over the years, it has been appreciated by film fans and is considered one of director Tony Scott’s most underrated films.
2004’s Man on Fire was actually an adaptation of the 1980 novel by A.J. Quinnell. Funny enough, Fuqua was almost once considered to direct the film, but the studio ultimately decided to hire Scott. The film earned Denzel Washington an NAACP Image Award nomination for Best Actor.
Details regarding Fanning’s character in The Equalizer 3 are being kept under wraps. The upcoming sequel comes after The Equalizer TV series on CBS premiered on February 7, 2021. Denzel Washington was not involved in the series, which starred Queen Latifah.
The Equalizer has become quite a profitable franchise for Sony Pictures. The first Denzel Washington actioner grossed over $192 million worldwide against a production budget of $55-73 million. The second film made roughly the same amount of money.
Denzel Washington has worked with Antoine Fuqua on a few projects in his career. In addition to The Equalizer franchise, the two have collaborated in 2001’s Training Day and 2016’s The Magnificent Seven. Washington’s role in Training Day earned the actor an Academy Award for Best Actor.
We’ll see how the next Equalizer film pans out. The franchise has turned Denzel Washington into an action star. The same thing happened with Liam Neeson after he starred in the first Taken movie. If the studio manages to keep the budget down, The Equalizer 3 may be another successful win for Sony Pictures.
