The Equalizer franchise’s Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) has lived a storied life, taking a bite out of crime and stomping gangsters like Goombas under Mario’s boots. Before battling Russian thugs in 2014’s The Equalizer or taking on rogue CIA agents in 2018’s The Equalizer 2 and the Italian Mafia in The Equalizer 3, he undoubtedly tangled with other villains. For fans who want to see a young McCall in action, director Antoine Fuqua thinks it could happen, and technology could be the key to making it all possible.
Speaking with NME, Fuqua said he’s considered de-aging Washington for an Equalizer origin story. We’ve seen actors de-aged more and more lately, with the latest example being for a lengthy sequence in James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. De-aging tech used to look pretty rough, but AI programs have advanced in recent years, providing filmmakers with access to jaw-dropping tools and effects.
“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?” Fuqua told NME. “I’ve had that conversation with Richard Wenk [Equalizer series screenwriter] quite a bit.”
That said, Fuqua has yet to run the idea past Denzel Washington, who would ultimately be the one wearing the face-capture technology. “It’s all so fresh and new,” Fuqua said. “I’m still watching [the technology]. I’ve watched Harrison Ford’s film and I know there’s other movies coming out… And I’m hearing the technology is getting better and better and better. So I’m kind of watching it to see where it goes.”
It’s interesting to hear Fuqua contemplating an Equalizer origin story after saying the third installment could be the final bow for himself and Washington. Speaking with Empire about the threequel earlier this month, Fuqua said, “This is it. Robert McCall, the working-man hero, at some point he’s got to walk away from it. At some point someone else has to pick up the ball and serve justice. He’s served his justice. He’s in a foreign place, he’s trying to find a home, find a place in the world. That’s really what’s important.”
Do you think The Equalizer 3 is the final curtain call for Fuqua and Washington? Is an Equalizer origin story possible? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.
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