Director Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington are back for a third “Equalizer” film at Sony Pictures. Their action franchise, which has collectively earned $382.7 million globally, is based on the popular television series of the same name that aired from 1985 to 1989. The film version sees Washington play Robert McCall, formerly a Marine and operative of the Defense Intelligence Agency that now seeks to help desperate people within his newly adopted community in Boston that can’t go to the authorities and are in need of McCall’s particular set of skills.
According to Deadline, the next installment is set to see Dakota Fanning (“Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”) co-star alongside Washington.
This would reteam the two actors after previously working on the Tony Scott-directed “Man On Fire” remake that was released back in 2004. One of Fanning’s early roles saw her play a young wealthy American school girl that Washington’s character is hired to bodyguard in Mexico and is eventually kidnapped for ransom.
In previous films, McCall has gone up against the Russian mob and mercenaries. Still, we’re currently in the dark regarding plot details for “Equalizer 3.” It wouldn’t be terribly shocking if Fanning plays someone that McCall is compelled to save from nefarious villains.
Interestingly enough, there is also a modern series airing concurrently on CBS that has Queen Latifah in the role of Robin McCall.
We’ll keep our fingers crossed that “Equalizer 3” is an improvement from the last installment, as while the cast was excellent, consisting of talented actors such as Pedro Pascal, Melissa Leo, and Ashton Sanders from “Moonlight,” the movie just wasn’t as thrilling or engaging as the first one. Hopefully, the action and character development have had a little more time to cook this time around.
Fuqua directs from a script penned by Richard Wenk (“Kraven The Hunter”), and Sony has set a release date of September 1, 2023.