The New ‘Equalizer’ Movie Is a ‘Man on Fire’ Reunion
After nearly 20 years, Dakota Fanning and Denzel Washington are once again sharing the screen. This time, it's in The Equalizer 3. The last time these two worked together was back in 2004, in Tony Scott’s dark thriller Man On Fire. Ahead of production, they hung out in Italy, on the Amalfi Coast. Back in June, Fanning announced that she was cast, and made an Instagram post about it. She called Washington a legend and said: “My gratitude to share the screen once again with the legend of all legends is endless. Can't wait.” Her sister, Elle, chimed in to say “The reunion to beat all reunions!!!!”
The Equalizer franchise follows Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent who occasionally gets called back into the heat of battle. He also sometimes finds himself protecting innocent people he knows, using his expertise and training to come out on top. Denzel Washington also recently appeared in an adaptation of Macbeth. He spoke a bit with Collider to explain how he was feeling after such a big role. He said:
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?
Even as far back as 2004, Denzel Washington admired Dakota Fanning's acting skills. He spoke with IGN, where he said:
She's a sweetheart, as you'll see if you've talked to her already. She's a bright young woman and she’s just a joy to be around. You can’t not like her, Dakota is a child, but she is a wonderful actor. And that’s what we were doing together: Acting. I don't know what a ‘child actor’ is. She’s an actor who’s a child.
Equalizer 3 is scheduled to open in theaters on September 1, 2023.