It’s been almost ten years. After Denzel Washington took over the role of Robert McCall, a former government official turned vigilante who protects people from injustice. The Equalizer franchise (2014) continues to grow with its sequel in 2018 and most recently with the final trilogy The Equalizer 3.
When franchise director Antoine Fuqua was asked if now was the right time for a third installment, he jokingly replied:
“I’m unemployed, Denzel is also available, people regularly ask me when he and I are going to do a sequel, so that’s going to be what the audience wants.”
He added that each story has its own specificity. “We see each chapter as its own individuality, not necessarily as a sequel or earlier narrative.”
From Fuqua it’s no surprise that viewers want to see it. “He’s a great actor and he’s approachable no matter where Robert McCall goes, he’s a man of integrity and he does it for the right reasons, by providing justice, that’s what matters.”
In this third film, McCall begins a new life in Altomonte, a small town in southern Italy, which makes perfect sense in the director’s eyes.
“He’s for the whole world, and I want people to see him as a character in a bigger world. I think it’s the perfect place. That he finds a house in a small town in Italy.”
However, this trip will by no means be McCall’s vacation, as he will see something that dominates the city’s residents. He wants to fight for justice for the townspeople, but justice this time will not be as easy as before.
“He found everything difficult and it took a lot of energy. Having to live violence and so on takes a lot of energy. But sometimes it’s good because you have to slow down and meet a lot of great people.”
The actress who will join McCall to defeat the Mafia is Emma Collins, an agent of Central Intelligence played by Dakota. Fanning, having worked with Washington before, almost 20 years ago. In the film Man on Fire (2004), Fanning was only 10 years old at the time.
“It’s really nice to see the love and respect that two people have for each other. It’s like a father-son relationship. I saw them talking and laughing to each other when we weren’t filming.”
According to Fookwa’s interview: This film will be a farewell to this role of warriors and it is very fitting to be the conclusion of this character.
“He found his own goal in the first part. In the second part he had to deal with his past, in the third part he had to fight against himself.”
The Equalizer 3 is scheduled to hit theaters on September 14.