Training Day is getting a prequel. On Monday, the California Film Commission announced a new round of tax credits for movie projects to be filmed in the state. Per Variety, among them was the prequel Training Day: Day of the Riot, which was awarded $9.1 million in tax credits for Warner Bros. This year, the commission awarded a record-setting $149.2 million in credits for 30 movies.
News of the Training Day prequel going into production goes back to 2019. At the time, it was reported that Warner Bros. had put into development a new Training Day film that would serve as a prequel to the original movie that was released in 2001. Nick Yarborough was also reportedly brought in to write the screenplay, taking the reins from original Training Day writer David Ayer, who'd go on to direct films like Suicide Squad and Bright.
Because it was also reported that the prequel would be set in April 1992, its Day of the Riot title appears to be referring to the violent Los Angeles riots of 1992 following the controversial Rodney King verdict. This followed all of the officers involved in King's beating getting acquitted at trial, with the riots lasting from April 29 until May 4. The Training Day prequel will reportedly follow a younger version of Denzel Washington's character, Alonzo Harris. There were also rumors of Washington's son, John David Washington, potentially being up for the role. No director was named at that time, but with production now moving forward, the cast and crew should soon start taking shape.
Antoine Fuqua directed the original Training Day, which starred Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, Scott Glenn, Cliff Curtis, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg. It follows two LAPD narcotics officers over a 24-hour period in the gang-ridden neighborhoods of Los Angeles. It was a big hit at the box office with numerous accolades, including Washington winning the Oscar for Best Actor and Hawke earning a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Training Day Was Rebooted as a Short-Lived TV Show
There was previously a new spin on put on Training Day when it was adapted into a TV series by CBS in 2017. Set 15 years after the events of the movie, the series follows a similar plot with Officer Kyle Craig (Justin Cromwell) teaming up with morally ambiguous detective Frank Roarke (Bill Paxton) to infiltrate the LAPD's Special Investigation Section. The show premiered in early February, just weeks before the death of Paxton.
As filming had been completed on the show's first and only season, Paxton was featured in all 13 episodes, which continued to air after his death. The series was formally canceled by CBS in May, which was expected after Paxton's passing. Before the cancelation, it was reported that there wouldn't be another actor playing the role of Frank if the show were to move forward.
There's not a release date on the board for Training Day: Day of the Riot, but we expect more updates on the project to be coming soon.