Director Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington’s upcoming action thriller sequel, The Equalizer 3, will land in theaters on September 1, 2023. Confirmed by Sony (via a report by Deadline), Denzel Washington will return as the mysterious master of action hero antics and righting wrongs, Robert McCall, next year with Washington and Antonie Fuqua confirmed to return.
Released in 2014, the first installment in The Equalizer franchise reboots the 1980s TV series of the same name, and follows Academy Award winner and Hollywood legend Denzel Washington as Robert McCall, a man of mysterious origin who believes he has put his violent past behind him and has dedicated himself to a quiet new life. However, when he meets Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teenager in an impossible situation and under the control of vicious Russian mobsters, Robert simply cannot walk away. Using his particular set of formidable skills, McCall comes out of self-imposed retirement and emerges as an avenging angel, ready to take down anyone who brutalizes the helpless.
Despite being met with some mixed reviews, The Equalizer was a commercial success, grossing over $192 million at the box office, and leading to a sequel. Thus, The Equalizer 2 was released in 2018, and sees Robert set out on a path of revenge that’s a lot more personal after one of his friends is murdered. Starring Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, and Orson Bean alongside Washington, The Equalizer 2 was once again met with mixed reviews from critics, but proved to be another huge hit with audiences, grossing $190 million worldwide.
The Equalizer 3 Could Take Things International
While not much is yet known about the direction of The Equalizer 3, returning star Denzel Washington confirmed earlier this year that the script is ready, and that he must now prepare himself physically for beating nameless henchmen to a pulp all over again. "They have written the third Equalizer, so I'm scheduled to do that,” the actor said. “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?"
Richard Wenk, who previously wrote the script for both The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2, is expected to return for the third outing but has not been officially confirmed.
While we fully expect that The Equalizer 3 will once again find Robert McCall tackling bad guys and righting wrongs, director Antoine Fuqua has previously revealed that the action movie threequel could take things international. "In my mind, there's a European adventure, absolutely," the filmmaker said back in 2018. "In my mind, that's what I'd like, to see him in Europe, in the future. God willing." A globe-trotting action-adventure starring Denzel Washington? Count us well and truly in.
So, once again for those in the back, Denzel Washington and Antonie Fuqua will reunite for The Equalizer, with the highly anticipated action flick now scheduled for release on September 1, 2023.