Director Antoine Fuqua's The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2 both belong in the rare but hallowed subgenre of "Denzel Washington beating the shit out of people," so needless to say we've eagerly kept our ears to the ground for any news of a third entry. The trail has been cold for a few years now, with The Equalizer 2 hitting theaters in 2018, until Collider's Steve Weintraub sat down with the Oscar-winner to discuss The Tragedy of Macbeth and learned, uh, The Equalizer 3 might be Washington's very next film.

Here's exactly what the actor told us about his post-Macbeth plans for 2022:
"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?"
Additionally, sources have told Collider that Fuqua is currently in talks to direct the third film. Negotiations are ongoing, but we don't expect there to be any hold-ups. This would most likely make The Equalizer 3 the filmmaker's feature follow-up to 2021's The Guilty starring Jake Gyllenhaal.



Loosely based on the 1980s thriller show starring Edward Woodward, The Equalizer premiered in 2014 and saw Washington take on the role of Robert McCall, a former Marine who cuts a violent path through the Russian mafia to protect a teenage prostitute, Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz). A follow-up debuted four years later–the first sequel for both Washington and Fuqua—which sees Washington's lead character seeking revenge for the murder of a close friend, Susan Plummer (Melissa Leo).

The Equalizer 3 still hasn't been officially confirmed, but we know Fuqua has ideas. When Collider spoke to the filmmaker in 2018, he told us he'd love to take Robert McCall overseas.


In my mind, there’s a European adventure, absolutely. In my mind, that’s what I’d like, to see him in Europe, in the future. God willing."
You can currently see Washington in the Shakespeare adaptation The Tragedy of Macbeth, directed by Joel Cohen and co-starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand. Look for our full interview with Denzel Washington in the coming days.

Sony has also officially revealed “The Equalizer 3,” another installment in Denzel Washington’s action franchise. While Washington and series director Antoine Fuqua have both recently teased a follow-up to 2018’s “The Equalizer 2,” this marks the first official acknowledgement from Sony regarding the project. “The Equalizer 3” is set to hit theaters on Sept. 1, 2023.