Editor’s note: All interviews for this story were conducted prior to the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
If you’re a fan of 2014’s The Equalizer and 2018’s follow-up, The Equalizer 2, you’re in luck. The third installment of the popular series is set to be released on September 1, bringing Denzel Washington’s character Robert McCall back to the big screen to hand out justice to those who deserve it once more.
The five years between Equalizers has been something that Washington has fielded numerous questions about, according to the actor. “When’s the next Equalizer?” he says in a clip sent to For The Win. “I’m like, why do you guys like that movie so much?”
The response? Because McCall “gets the guys we want to get.”
In the latest entry to the trilogy, Washington reunites with his costar from 2004’s Man on Fire, Dakota Fanning, and the pair are joined by David Denman (The Office) and Sonia Ammar (Scream). Set in the picturesque countryside of Italy, McCall is just trying to enjoy a life of peace and quiet.
While the premise is similar to its predecessors, Washington says the third is very different than the first two films. While McCall (Washington) wants to leave behind his violent past, he meets his match in a mafia leader (played by newcomer Andrea Scarduzio) that reminds him escaping his history isn’t possible. “Helping those that can’t help themselves,” director Antoine Fuqua says of McCall’s actions. “Handing out justice his way. He’s going through an internal battle. Has he gone too far?”
Find out on September 1 when The Equalizer 3 hits theaters.
