Next year, Denzel Washington is returning to one of his most badass roles. "When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too."
Washington's filmography caters to all moviegoers: if you like gritty crime dramas, there's Training Day; if you like rousing sports movies, there's Remember the Titans; if you're a time travel buff, there's Deja Vu.
For me, it doesn't get much better than Man on Fire, watching him tear up Mexico City and shoving bombs up criminals' butts. However, The Equalizer has to be a close second.
Based on the 1980s TV show of the same name, the actor first took on the role of Robert McCall back in 2014.
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Brutal and pulpy, The Equalizer received mixed reviews – how anyone could feel anything but glee at Washington killing henchmen with a nail gun is beyond me – but audiences lapped it up, leading to a worldwide box office gross of more than $192 million.
He returned for a second instalment in 2018, but amid his other work with Oscar-nominated turns in Fences and The Tragedy of Macbeth, there hadn't been much news on the possibility of a threequel until recently.
In an interview with Collider earlier this year, Washington revealed: "They have written the third Equalizer, so I’m scheduled to do that.
"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?"
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In a new announcement from Sony Pictures, The Equalizer 3 was given an official release date of 1 September 2023. Antoine Fuqua is expected to return to direct, but there's no plot details at the time of writing.
In an earlier interview, Fuqua said he hoped to see Robert McCall go on a 'European adventure'
He said: "In my mind, that's what I'd like, to see him in Europe, in the future. God willing."
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Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Washington earlier said he returned to the role because the second film was a substantial expansion to the character.
He said: "The only reason is there is a reason. Not just to go blow up some more stuff and run and jump around. There’s got to be some kind of story. The actor in me is hopeful there’s a good story."
The Equalizer 3 is due to hit cinemas on 1 September 2023.
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Topics: Film and TV, Entertainment
Cameron Frew