Antoine Fuqua considered de-aging Denzel Washington for ‘The Equalizer’ origin story

Denzel Washington could be de-aged using AI for a continuation of The Equalizer film franchise, said director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) – and he considered using the tech on new film The Equalizer 3.

Speaking to NME in an exclusive interview to promote vigilante ex-hitman Robert McCall’s third outing, in UK cinemas August 30, Fuqua said: “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 Richard Wenk [who co-wrote all three Equalizer films] quite a bit.”

De-aging older actors has become commonplace in recent years, with an 80-year-old Harrison Ford getting the treatment for a flashback scene in Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny; and Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman aging down Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Al Pacino. Ford has been complimentary about the technique, calling the footage “very realistic” and praising visual effects artists for using the technology “very skilfully”. Other actors are wary of handing over their digital likenesses to major movie studios, who could try to use them again without further payment.

It’s unclear which side of the argument Washington falls on. “I haven’t talked to Denzel about that yet,” said Fuqua. “It’s all so fresh and new. I’m still watching [the technology]. I’ve watched Harrison Ford’s film and I know there’s other movies coming out. I think Sony has one coming out with Tom Hanks soon [Robert Zemeckis’ Here]. And I’m hearing the technology is getting better and better and better. So I’m kind of watching it to see where it goes.”

Washington first took on the role of McCall in 2014 with The Equalizer, loosely based on the popular 1980s TV series of the same name. McCall is a retired intelligence officer who uses his formidable fighting skills to bring society’s cruelest criminals to justice. In The Equalizer 3, he finds himself in a small Italian town where the friendly residents are being terrorised by local Mafioso.

“The first film was about [McCall] finding a purpose. And it’s very external, right? He’s helping people,” said Fuqua. “The second one is more about making peace with his past. He’s betrayed by his friends and [his colleague] dies and his wife has passed away… And then this one is more of a moral dilemma because he’s a darker character… he’s struggling with the violence and the brutality [of his actions].”

At 68, Washington found the physicality of the role more challenging this time around, explained Fuqua. Before filming a scene in which McCall emerges next to an old church at the top of some steep steps, Washington told his director “clearly” that he would only be doing “a couple of takes”.

“His knees were hurting! It was hot too!” added Fuqua.

In recent news, Fuqua was unveiled as the director for new Michael Jackson biopic Michael, starring Jackson’s nephew Jafaar as the late pop star. No release date for the movie has been announced yet.

‘The Equalizer 3’ arrives in UK cinemas on August 30

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