Equalizer denzel washington movie#
Equalizer denzel washington series#

“The Equalizer’s” McCall and “Training Day’s” Det. He and Fuqua sat down and discussed how they could turn their “Training Day” experience to their advantage. When Washington became interested in starring and recommended Fuqua to Escape Artists, “The Equalizer” had new life. Various directors - Paul McGuigan, Nicolas Winding Refn and Rupert Wyatt - had been considered, but the project repeatedly stalled. before it came to Sony Pictures and the Escape Artists production company. “The Equalizer” had been kicking around Hollywood for years and had been in development at the Weinstein Co. “I told my agent,” Fuqua said, “‘He will call when he’s ready.’” That’s also a fitting way to describe Washington’s relationship with Fuqua.Īfter Fuqua was replaced by Ridley Scott at the helm of 2007’s “American Gangster” in a dispute over its budget, the director would occasionally connect with Washington to discuss collaborations. “I called him in my first draft ‘The Changer of Circumstances.’” “He’s the guy who the voiceless and the powerless call,” Wenk said. When McCall sees that Teri’s pimps have roughed her up, something deep inside him is brought to the surface - and pretty soon very bad things start happening to very bad people. One night at the restaurant he meets Teri, a teenage Russian prostitute played by Chloë Grace Moretz. He reads great books like “The Old Man and the Sea” and “Invisible Man” alone in a diner when he can’t sleep. In the screenplay for the film by Richard Wenk (“16 Blocks,” “The Expendables 2”), McCall is working at a home improvement store, trying to keep to himself on the job and at home.

Equalizer denzel washington series#

And this is a person who becomes really comfortable doing violence.”įans of the 1980s television series will recall “The Equalizer’s” basic setup: A former intelligence agent named Robert McCall (played by Edward Woodward) turns into something of a neighborhood handyman, albeit more skilled at righting wrongs than fixing leaky pipes. And sometimes men who understand violence will avoid it at all costs. “What’s interesting about Denzel’s character is the violence is like alcohol or a drug - it’s an adrenaline rush,” said Fuqua, a Pittsburgh native who began his career doing music videos for rap artists and other musicians.

Equalizer denzel washington movie#

Like “Training Day” and almost all of Fuqua’s work, “The Equalizer” is an often brutal R-rated action movie whose main character lives in a world of punishment and pain.

The director’s career was restored, and, two weeks after “Olympus Has Fallen” was released last March, “The Equalizer” arrived on Fuqua’s door.

“Olympus Has Fallen” grossed nearly $100 million, while “White House Down” barely made it past $70 million. “Olympus Has Fallen” looked to be the poor relation of “White House Down.” Both movies were almost identical in plot, but the latter film had a more established director - “Independence Day’s” Roland Emmerich - more than twice the budget and a prime summer release date.įuqua’s film, which opened three months ahead of Emmerich’s, crushed “White House Down” at the domestic box office.