For most of his acting career, Denzel Washington never returned for a sequel, but that changed with The Equalizer 2. His first go-around as Bob McCall hit the big screen back in 2014, and four years later, he reprised the gun-toting ex-CIA black ops operative, re-teaming with director Antoine Fuqua. This was also Fuqua's first time making a sequel, and while there's no official word yet, it sounds like both he's interested in working alongside Washington again for The Equalizer 3. When asked if he would return for a threequel and what it would take to make that project happen, Fuqua responded:
Personally, I'd love for it to happen. I mean the audience has spoken, so hopefully it'll continue to do well in its life. Sony has brought it up and talked about it. It would be great to do it again. It would be great to do it again with Denzel. I'm looking forward to The Equalizer 3 if that happens. I would love for it to take place internationally, I think Denzel would be a great James Bond type character. [Denzel and I] talk about a lot of different things. I've got some things I'm developing and roles I'd like him to play. Normally, that's how it works with him. I'm dreaming him up as a cowboy or something and then I've got to go pitch it.
Based on the Equalizer television series that aired from 1985 to 1989, the Equalizer movies have been met with mixed critical reactions, while commercially, the first movie made over $192 million worldwide. Right now, as it enters its third week in theaters, The Equalizer 2 is sitting at over $74 million worldwide, so it seems unlikely that the sequel will accumulate the same amount of green as its predecessor did. Nevertheless, as Antoine Fuqua told THR, Sony has already brought up the idea of making The Equalizer 3 to Fuqua, so that could bode well for the threequel moving forward. But even if that doesn't pan out, clearly Fuqua is interested in teaming up with Denzel Washington again, regardless of the project.
The Equalizer 2 ended in a very neutral place where The Equalizer 3 could certainly follow behind, but these movies could also simply function as a duology if Sony decides not to release another installment. While Antoine Fuqua has acknowledged that shooting The Equalizer 2 was incredibly difficult, at least there's still some enthusiasm on his part for bring Rob McCall back for another round of shooting bad guys. Whether or not The Equalizer 3 actually materializes remains to be seen, although ideally we'll get an answer on way or the other sooner rather than later.
Make sure to read CinemaBlend's review of The Equalizer 2, and stay tuned for news on whether or not The Equalizer 3 gets the greenlight. In the meantime, look through our 2018 release schedule to find out what movies are hitting theaters later this year.
