Antoine Fuqua will return to direct The Equalizer 2 next year

Last Updated on July 31, 2021

Prompted by the exceptional results from test screenings, Sony got the ball rolling on a sequel to THE EQUALIZER months before the film was even released by getting Richard Wenk working on a script. The sequel was officially announced a year later with Denzel Washington returning for what will be the first sequel of his career. While promoting the release of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, producer Todd Black gave Collider an update on what's happening with the sequel, which included confirming that Antoine Fuqua will be back in the director's chair.

The script is done. We start shooting right after Labor Day, maybe right before Labor Day depending on Denzel’s schedule. So Equalizer 2 will start shooting in September of next year, maybe earlier depending on another movie that we’re shooting with Denzel before that. We’re going to do a little bit more work and we’re going to go into casting right after that for his nemesis.

Black wouldn't cough up any plot details but he did mention that there's talk of shooting THE EQUALIZER sequel in the IMAX format, which is something they discussed using on THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN but later decided against.

We talked a lot about the IMAX format for [The Magnificent Seven]. It’s expensive. Antoine wasn’t quite comfortable with that, nor were the studios. We did talk about it a lot. We continue to talk about it for Equalizer 2. He has a whole thing that he’s planning on Equalizer 2 with this new effect that he’s doing, which I can’t talk about, but it’s frickin’ so cool you won’t believe it.

THE EQUALIZER 2 was set for a September 29, 2017 release, but as production on the sequel looks to be kicking off around that time, I think it's safe to say that a new release date will be announced. Meanwhile, Antoine Fuqua's remake of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN officially hits theaters this Friday so make sure to check our a review from our own Chris Bumbray!