The Equalizer 3: Antoine Fuqua breaks down Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning reunion

Nearly twenty years after the release of Man on Fire, Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning have reunited for The Equalizer 3. Director Antoine Fuqua told Empire that the on-screen reunion meant as much to the actors as it does to the audience.

“She’s like a daughter to him, he loves her,” Antoine Fuqua said of the reunion between Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning. “It was so beautiful to watch them together on the set, just talking, laughing. And they’re both so talented, they just get into it, they didn’t skip a beat. What was weird for me looking through the lens and seeing Dakota as a grown-up! She’s fantastic, and watching them together was a joy because she’s a samurai. She knows it, she’s there, she’s pleasant, she does her thing. And it was a bonus her relationship with Denzel. She’s friends with his kids. It was very easy with those two.” Fanning plays a young CIA agent who comes to Italy after reports of mafia violence.

The new film takes place in Italy, which is quite a change of locale from the previous movies. Antoine Fuqua added that going international was always the plan. “I’ve always had conversations with Sony, the producers and Denzel about why Robert McCall wouldn’t be more international,” Fuqua said. “He worked for the government overseas like Bourne or James Bond or any of those franchises, so why wouldn’t he travel?“

Billed as the final chapter of the franchise, The Equalizer 3 stars Denzel Washington as Robert McCall. “Since giving up his life as a government assassin, Robert McCall has struggled to reconcile the horrific things he’s done in the past and finds a strange solace in serving justice on behalf of the oppressed,” reads the official synopsis. “Finding himself surprisingly at home in Southern Italy, he discovers his new friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.” The first trailer for the sequel was revealed at CinemaCon, with Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, and Antoine Fuqua taking the stage to present the film. “I am just so exited to be here and to be a part of this film,” Fanning said. “Getting to work with Denzel once is a dream come true and twice is… I don’t even know. [I’m] so blessed to be a part of this, and excited for you to see a sneak peek!“

The Equalizer 3 will hit theaters on September 1st.