Antoine Fuqua Considering ‘Equalizer’ Prequel

“I definitely thought about it a lot,” says the director, though there is no current plan to make an ‘Equalizer’ prequel movie.

Denzel Washington and Director Antoine Fuqua between takes while filming in the Amalfi Coast on the set of Columbia Pictures 'The Equalizer 3.'

(L to R) Denzel Washington and Director Antoine Fuqua between takes while filming in the Amalfi Coast on the set of Columbia Pictures 'The Equalizer 3.' Photo by: Stefano Montesi.

Denzel Washington will shoot back to our screens next month as government assassin-turned-do-gooding crusader Robert McCall in ‘The Equalizer 3’.

And while it could end up being the final outing (though nothing has been said) for McCall in his present form, director Antoine Fuqua is already thinking of an idea for an ‘Equalizer’ prequel which would use de-aging technology so Washington can star as a younger version of the character.

What has Fuqua said about an ‘Equalizer’ prequel?

Director Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington on the set of 'The Equalizer 3.' Photo by: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.

Here’s what Fuqua told NME:

“I definitely thought about it a lot. 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 [‘Equalizer’ screenwriter] Richard Wenk quite a bit.”

But don’t go booking your tickets to ‘The Equalizer: Young McCall’ just yet. Right now, it’s still only in Fuqua’s mind and he has yet to sound out Washington on the concept, which has been most recently deployed in the opening sequence of ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’, winding back the clock to show Harrison Ford looking like he did circa ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.

As he explains:

“I haven’t talked to Denzel about that yet. 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.”

The notion of using AI and CG to de-age actors has been a controversial one; beyond the wider argument about AI and its impact on performers (which is a key point in the current SAG-AFTRA strike, it has been seen as a hit-and-miss idea.

What’s the story of ‘The Equalizer 3?

Denzel Washington in 'The Equalizer 3.' Photo: Stefano Montesi.

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.

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.

Who else is in ‘The Equalizer 3’?

(L to R) Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington on the set of 'The Equalizer 3.' Photo: Stefano Cristiiano Montesi.

The cast also includes Dakota Fanning (for a ‘Man on Fire’ reunion), Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Gaia Scodellaro, Remo Girone, Andrea Scarduzio, Daniele Perrone and Bruno Bilotta.

Here’s Fuqua on the story:

“The first film was about [McCall] finding a purpose. And it’s very external, right? He’s helping people. The second one is more about making peace with his past. He’s betrayed by his friends and [his colleague] dies and his wife has passed away… And then this one is more of a moral dilemma because he’s a darker character… He’s struggling with the violence and brutality.”

‘The Equalizer 3’ is in theaters on September 1.