The Equalizer 3: Antoine Fuqua reveals how the Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning reunion came to be

Fans of Antoine Fuqua’s The Equalizer are excited for the forthcoming sequel to bring two of Hollywood’s brightest stars together for the first time in 20 years. Earlier this month, it was announced that Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning would star in The Equalizer 3, which Fuqua will direct. Washington and Fanning starred together in Tony Scott’s 2004 action thriller Man on Fire. In the film, Washington played a CIA operative named John W. Creasy, who goes on a revenge-driven rampage after his client, nine-year-old Lupita “Pita” Ramos (Fanning), is abducted in Mexico City. The duo shared great on-screen chemistry in the film, and now they’re getting the band back together.

During an interview on The Beard and the Bald podcast with Fuqua and David DiGilio, Fuqua explained how the casting reunion of Washington and Fanning came to be for The Equalizer 3.

“I think I was talking to Denzel,” Fuqua recollected. “We were on the phone just talking about [The Equalizer 3], and Man on Fire came up, talking about [late director Tony Scott], and we had talked about [his] birthday was coming, I believe, and Dakota [Fanning] came up, and I was, “How old is Dakota now?” And we were like, “Oh yeah, she’s about the right age,” and I said, “That would be cool to bring her back.” So, that’s how it sort of happened, and then I met with her, and I loved her as soon as I walked in the room and met her. I mean, she’s a great actress, but you meet people. She’s incredible.”

I would love to be a fly on the wall for when Washington and Fanning reunite on the set of Equalizer 3. I hope someone captures it on film and shares it as a feel-good tale from the production.

For more about movies, post-VidCon hangovers, and the latest news to hit Hollywood, be sure to check out the full episode of The Beard and the Bald – featuring JoBlo Managing Editor Chris Bumbray and ScreenRant’s Paul Shirey. You can also subscribe to the show via iTunes here.