A third Equalizer movie with Denzel Washington in the lead hit theaters in 2023, and it has fans interested in the possibility of Equalizer prequel news. This all comes from an idea thrown out by director Antoine Fuqua about telling more of an origin story of Denzel's Robert McCall. There is even talk of de-aging Denzel for the movie while having him play the role as if he were a younger man. The Equalizer is a movie remake of a classic TV series about a former special operations agent who helps people who are not able to help themselves.

The original The Equalizer TV series starred Edward Woodward (The Wicker Man) as Robert McCall, a former covert operations officer of an unnamed United States intelligence operation who wants to atone for his past sins by helping others, often free of charge. Denzel Washington took on the role in 2014, although he was specifically from the Marines and later DIA, and ended up getting pulled back into action when people in his neighborhood fell afoul of the Russian mafia. Sequels came in 2018 and 2023 and there was even an Equalizer TV series with Queen Latifa in 2021. Now, thanks to ideas from Antoine Furqua, there are talks of an Equalizer prequel movie.

Equalizer Prequel Recent News

Latest Updates on The Equalizer Prequel

The Equalizer prequel news comes thanks to Antoine Fuqua. The director and Denzel Washington have a long career working together. He directed Denzel to an Oscar win with Training Day when Denzel was 47. Now that Denzel is closing in on 70, he wants to keep up The Equalizer franchise, and keep working with Denzel, but possibly by de-aging the actor to show a story from Robert McCall's past. While The Equalizer 3 shows that Denzel can still go in action movies and look the part, that won't be true for too much longer. In an interview, Fuqua talked about his plans for The Equalizer prequel (via Variety).

"I definitely thought about it a lot. 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. I’ve had that conversation with [‘Equalizer’ screenwriter] Richard Wenk quite a bit."

Fuqua said he hasn't talked to Denzel Washington about it yet, but he said it is "fresh and new" and he seemed impressed with the work on Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It seems like that really impressed Fuqua, as the technology is improving from a time when Commander Leia in Rise of Skywalker was not as widely accepted.

The Equalizer Prequel Is Not Confirmed

Why an Equalizer Prequel is Still Uncertain

The Equalizer prequel is not confirmed. As mentioned by director Antoine Fuqua, he has looked at the technology and likes what he sees.

However, he hasn't talked to Denzel Washington about it yet and with the third movie coming out in 2023, there would be a few years likely before this new one would come out anyway. An Equalizer prequel release date wouldn't be until 2025 or later.

Equalizer Prequel Cast

Who Could Star in The Equalizer Prequel

There is no telling who could appear in the Equalizer prequel cast. However, one person would be locked in and guaranteed. Denzel Washington would play Robert McCall. The entire idea of Antoine Fuqua making this movie is to continue to work with Denzel on more action movies, and he wants to de-age the star, so Denzel would return. McCall is a former U.S. Marine and DIA officer who retired to a quiet life in Boston. However, in the first movie, he used his unique skill set to help a teenager trafficked by the Russian mafia.

If The Equalizer 4 ends up as a prequel movie where McCall goes back and details his work with his former team, there are some characters from The Equalizer 2 that could return, de-aged as well.

The second movie saw him still helping people, but his past comes back to haunt him. If The Equalizer 4 ends up as a prequel movie where McCall goes back and details his work with his former team, there are some characters from The Equalizer 2 that could return, de-aged as well. Pedro Pascal played Robert's former partner Dave York, and other of his team included Kovac (Garrett Golden), Ari (Kazy Tauginas), and Resnik (Jonathan Scarfe). Melissa Leo also played his former DIA colleague Susan Plummer.

Equalizer Prequel Possible Story

Exploring Robert McCall's Origins in a Prequel

While there is no telling what the Equalizer prequel story will be about, it will obviously be an origin story for Robert McCall. The idea is likely that it will show Robert carrying out some of the morally dubious missions he would later come to regret, and have sent him into retirement by the time of The Equalizer.

In this case, there is a chance that his old teammates introduced in The Equalizer 2 could return, and it would likely include a mission where Robert remains the good man fans know him as — or at least his road to becoming that man.