Antoine Fuqua, the director of The Equalizer franchise, has said that he considered using de-aging technology on Denzel Washington for a potential origin story in the series.
Speaking to NME ahead of the release of The Equalizer 3, Fuqua said that he’s thought a lot about the de-aging technology that Hollywood has become a big fan of. Specifically, Fuqua wonders if there is a story to tell with how Washington’s Robert McCall became the man he is.
“I definitely thought about it a lot,” said Fuqua. “Especially now with the new technology and the AI and all of that kind of stuff… Is there a story to be told about how [McCall] became this person – the younger version. I’ve had that conversation with Richard Wenk [who co-wrote all three Equalizer films] quite a bit.”
While Fuqua has thought about it some, he says he hasn’t yet discussed it with Washington, partly due to how new the technology is.
“It’s all so fresh and new. I’m still watching [the technology]. I’ve watched Harrison Ford’s film and I know there’s other movies coming out. I think Sony has one coming out with Tom Hanks soon [Robert Zemeckis’ Here]. And I’m hearing the technology is getting better and better and better. So I’m kind of watching it to see where it goes.”
What do we know about The Equalizer 3?
“Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed,” reads the synopsis for the latest film. “Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.”
The Equalizer 3 is once again being directed by Fuqua (Training Day) from a screenplay written by Richard Wenk. The film also stars Dakota Fanning, David Denman, and Gaia Scodellaro. This marks Fanning’s second collaboration with Washington after working together in the Man on Fire movie two decades ago.
Producers are Fuqua, Washington, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Clayton Townsend, Alex Siskin, Tony Eldrige, and Michael Sloan. It is executive produced by David Bloomfield, Tarak Ben Ammar, and Andy Mitchell.
The Equalizer films were based on the classic CBS series, which ran on air for four seasons from 1985-1989 on the CBS network. Joining Denzel in the first two films were Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, David Harbour, Pedro Pascal, and more. The action franchise currently has a combined worldwide gross of over $190 million.
