‘Wouldn’t that be amazing?’: ‘The Equalizer’ director open to a prequel with the most obvious recasting imaginable

The third entry to The Equalizer franchise is set to be the last for Denzel Washington, although the film’s director, Antoine Fuqua, is open to the idea of a prequel film.

In an exclusive interview with JoBlo, the director of all three Equalizer films sat down to discuss the journey so far and what could be next for the franchise. Although the threequel is set to be Washington’s last outing as the former Marine and assassin Robert McCall (after nearly ten years!), the trailer still has fans eagerly anticipating the final installment. You can watch the trailer for yourself below.

Not only are the fans itching for more from The Equalizer universe, but the director seems just as eager to continue making the films.

The idea of a prequel is clearly something that Fuqua has already been thinking about as he has no problem naming his pick for the role. He suggests Michael B. Jordan for the part of McCall, which could definitely work. Seeing a younger McCall in his prime would make for a great film. However, Fuqua seems to have overlooked a better-suited — and more obvious — choice for a younger version of the character.

Interviewer Chris Bumbray asked the director, “Why not John David [Washington]?” The actor has shown that he can bring the drama and the intense action needed to play Robert McCall in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet a few years ago. On top of that, the actor is literally Denzel Washington’s son — if anyone would be suited to playing a younger version of the actor, it would be his own son.

Antoine Fuqua certainly agreed that John David would be a great fit for the role, almost seeming taken aback that he hadn’t thought of it himself.

“Even better, right, wouldn’t that be amazing? […] That’s a good idea! How cool would that be, man?”

Fuqua has also toyed with the idea of just having Denzel Washington return for the prequel and making use of de-aging technology like the effects used on Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. The director mentioned the idea to NME but admitted that he hadn’t run it by Denzel himself yet.

It’s clear that Fuqua is giving serious thought to a prequel already, it’s simply a matter of finding the right man for the job. It would be interesting to see Washington’s son take on his father’s role, but who knows, maybe Denzel isn’t quite ready to give up on playing Robert McCall after all.

The Equalizer 3 is set to hit theaters August 30th.