Summary
- Despite being marketed as the final chapter, a surprise fourth installment of
The Equalizer
franchise is in very early development. - The success of
The Equalizer 3
at the box office makes the idea of a fourth movie less surprising. - Writer Richard Wenk is tasked with figuring out how the franchise can continue.
Last year’s action sequel The Equalizer 3 was marketed as the final chapter in director Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington’s saga, but writer Richard Wenk, who has written all three installments in The Equalizer franchise, has now hinted that a surprise fourth movie could be on the cards. In a recent interview with Empire Magazine, Wenk explained that, while he felt that the third outing was the last and provided closure, he has now been “tasked” with finding out how the franchise could continue…
“I felt it was over. It felt like the final chapter for this guy. I don’t know where he would go after that. Though…[laughs] I’m now tasked with figuring that out.”
Of course, while The Equalizer 4 would come as something of a surprise considering how adamant everyone involved has been about the third movie being the last, it becomes less surprising when you consider that The Equalizer brought in a worldwide box office total of $190 million.
While Wenk has now been given the job of coming up with an idea for The Equalizer 4, he seems to be struggling a little, even suggesting to Empire that he might need some help down the road…
“I may have to call you and ask you what you would like if you had to see another one.”
Antoine Fuqua Has Suggested an Equalizer Prequel With a De-aged Denzel Washington
The Equalizer 3
- Release Date
- September 1, 2023
- Tagline
- Justice knows no borders
Released in September last year, vengeance meets his equal in The Equalizer 3. Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) 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.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk, who have been behind all three movies in the series, The Equalizer 3 stars Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning (Man on Fire, War of the Worlds), Andrea Scarduzio (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One), David Denman (Mare of Easttown), Sonia Ben Ammar (Scream), Remo Girone (Ford v Ferrari), and Eugenio Mastrandrea (From Scratch).
The Equalizer 3 Reveals the Deeper Meaning of the Franchise
An underrated cinematic aspect that takes hold of the climax featured in all three Equalizer movies is possibly the key to linking it all together.
Despite being heralded as the last time Washington would play the titular avenging angel, Fuqua has previously hinted at a return. Either with a fourth movie, which must include Washington, or perhaps even a prequel with the Oscar winner being de-aged.
“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.”
Would you like to see Denzel Washington return for The Equalizer 4, or do you think The Equalizer 3 worked as the perfect send-off?
