Denzel Washington Made A Secret Sequel To One Of His Greatest Movies
Denzel Washington’s and Dakota Fanning’s 2004 film Man on Fire is one of the best films from both of their careers, and the two will finally be reuniting on screen in the upcoming The Equalizer 3.
Director Antoine Fuqua even sees the upcoming reunion as a spiritual sequel of sorts to Man on Fire, telling Comicbook.com, “We never talked about it collectively, but I’ve thought about it that way,” adding, “This is Man on Fire but years later – and this is what he’s doing,’ you know?”
Antoine Fuqua has said that The Equalizer 3 is basically a spiritual sequel to Man on Fire for Denzel Washington
This is certainly an interesting way to look at The Equalizer 3 and should give Man on Fire fans an even stronger reason to check out the new film.
Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning had an easy, friendly chemistry in Man on Fire, so it’s not surprising that this carries over to The Equalizer 3. Although the two haven’t shared the screen since their 2004 effort, they have stayed in touch over the years.
Fanning even became good friends with one of Washington’s daughters. Just from the trailers we’ve seen, it seems that their father-daughter-like chemistry will probably be just as strong in The Equalizer 3.
Man on Fire was a film from director Tony Scott that was a remake of a Scott Glenn film, which itself was an adaptation of a Philip Nicholson novel. The film starred Denzel Washington as John Creasy, a former CIA operative who takes a job protecting the daughter (Dakota Fanning) of a wealthy businessman. Creasy quickly finds himself on a quest for revenge after he is left for dead and she is kidnapped for ransom.
Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall in The Equalizer franchise certainly shares some spiritual DNA with John Creasy, as McCall is a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer and retired US Marine. McCall finds himself as a vigilante for people who need help, so both characters have a strong sense of justice and their own methods for meting it out.
While Dakota Fanning will definitely be playing a different type of character this time around, it’s easy to see how this movie could be considered a spiritual sequel to Man on Fire.
The Equalizer 3 finds Denzel Washington’s Robert McCall living his life in Southern Italy, somewhat peacefully. However, this peace is short-lived, as he finds his new friends are under the thumb of local crime bosses. McCall must take on the call to protect his new friend and take on the mafia himself.
Denzel Washington and The Equalizer 3 is set to hit theaters this Friday, September 1.
In The Equalizer 3, Denzel Washington is also once again working with director Antoine Fuqua, who is a frequent collaborator as the two have worked together on all of the Equalizer movies, The Magnificent Seven remake, and the great 2001 film Training Day.
Richard Wenk penned the script for The Equalizer 3, and Eugenio Mastrandrea, David Denman, Sonia Ammar, Gaia Scodellaro, Andrea Scarduzio, Andrea Dodero, Salvatore Ruocco, and Remo Girone also star alongside Washington and Fanning. We won’t have to wait long to see this Man on Fire reunion and spiritual sequel (and actual Equalizer sequel), as Equalizer 3 is set to hit theaters this Friday, September 1.
