Hasitha Fernando on the story behind The Equalizer as it celebrates its 10th anniversary…
Denzel Washington requires no introduction. The man is a master of his craft who has worked in multiple genres over several decades delivering compelling performances across the board. However, the early to mid-2000s saw him take on more action centric roles such as 2001’s Training Day – for which he won an Academy Award – and 2004’s Tony Scott helmed Man on Fire. But it was with The Equalizer, a decade later, that the Oscar winning actor really came to the fore as a bona fide action star. This is that story…
The movie was based on a well-known television show
Many may have forgotten that The Equalizer was based on a classic 80’s spy thriller television show of the same name starring British actor Edward Woodward. Co-created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, the series centered around former intelligence agent Robert McCall who utilizes his skills to exact justice on behalf of innocent people caught in dangerous situations whilst dealing with individuals from his past life in covert operations who intend to either use or exterminate him. Originally airing on CBS the show ran from September 18, 1985, to August 24, 1989, for a total of four seasons before being prematurely cancelled due to a disagreement between CBS and Universal Television. But the IP wasn’t done with the world yet.
The project was stuck in development for quite some time
In early 2005, producer Mace Neufeld announced that he had teamed with The Equalizer co-creator Michael Sloan and producer Tony Eldridge to conceptualize an adaptation of the original series. In December of that same year, The Weinstein Company acquired the rights to the IP and in mid-2007 it was reported that Lucky Number Slevin director Paul McGuigan was slated to helm the new adaptation with Michael Connelly and Terrill Lee Lankfor hired to craft the screenplay. Following three years of no progress it was announced in June 2010 that Russell Crowe was being involved in the project, eyeing to play the lead with Paul Haggis directing. However, negotiations once again fell apart. The following year things started picking up once again when it was reported that none other than Denzel Washington was expressing interest in the IP and in December of that same year it was officially announced that he would indeed star in the title role of the film version which would be bankrolled by Sony Pictures Entertainment and Escape Artists.
Antoine Fuqua was personally recommended by the film’s lead star
A few months following Denzel Washington’s casting in the lead role acclaimed filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn- fresh off the success of his critically lauded action thriller But for some unknown reasons the deal fell through and once again the project was stalled. It was then that Washington suggested director Antoine Fuqua for the gig, with whom he had successfully collaborated with on the Oscar winning film Training Day. The studio, convinced by Washington’s recommendation officially hired Fuqua to direct the effort on March 21, 2013 and finally things started moving forward.
Denzel Washington contributed much to the character’s backstory
Although the character of Robert McCall was based on its television counterpart the feature film adaptation was a very loose take of it, hence the script had absolutely no backstory for its lead character. This naturally didn’t sit well with Washington who took matter into his own hands and along with director Antoine Fuqua and screenwriter Richard Wenk crafted an extensive background and backstory for McCall. In fact it was Washington who suggested that McCall have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). And in order to accurately portray the tics and mannerisms of an OCD sufferer the actor met and interviewed several people suffering from the affliction in real-life to gain valuable insight.
Chloe Grace Moretz interviewed real-life escorts to prepare for her role
Chloë Grace Moretz has been involved with acting since a very young age starting her career in such efforts as The Amityville Horror remake, the acclaimed rom-com 500 Days of Summer and children’s comedy Diary of a Wimpy Kid. She also took on numerous roles in the small screen with TV shows like Desperate Housewives and Dirty, Sexy, Money. However, her break out performance came for playing the foul mouthed vigilante Hit Girl in 2010’s Kick-Ass. To prepare for her role of an underage escort, the actress interviewed real-life prostitutes and even changed her diet and put on some weight to accurately portray someone from that profession. Grace Moretz fought for the role of Teri, when she found out that it was written for someone of the age of 24. But seeing the effort she put in and how she presented herself Fuqua immediately made the change to accommodate the actress and Grace Moretz was cast in the role. Anna Kendrick, Nina Dobrev and Kelly MacDonald were also in discussions for the role early on.
Denzel Washington was contractually obligated to be in the movie
Denzel Washington is the consummate professional and his steadfast commitment and unwavering dedication to the craft is unquestionable. However even he was reluctant to initially get involved with the project because of the difficulties the producers faced in finding a director suited for the gig. Although things eventually worked out well in the end, with critical and commercial success Washington made it no secret that he only made this movie to contractual obligations to the studio.
The movie had high test screening results
Test screenings of movies have become a norm in the film industry where an audience is allowed to view a rough-cut of the movie in order to gauge people’s thoughts and perceptions regarding the effort. Sometimes films which receive negative test screenings undergo extensive reshoots or edits as was the case with the MCU’s Captain America: Brave New World recently. However, when it came to the test screening results of The Equalizer it was the exact opposite. The film’s early test screenings ended up receiving the highest scores and positive reactions out of any MPAA R-rated Sony movie and that was truly something.
Box office success, critical acclaim & the birth of a franchise
On a net production budget of $55-73 million The Equalizer grossed $101.5 million in North America and $90.8 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $192.3 million. Innovative marketing strategies were employed to drum up interest for the effort including the inclusion of a viral advert in the New York Times Sunday classifieds and centering the promotional activities around lead star Denzel Washington. Film critics were mostly satisfied with what they saw praising both Washington and Grace Moretz’s performances and Fuqua’s direction. As of writing The Equalizer holds a respectable 61% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, based on 206 reviews. Susan Wloszczyna writing for RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars, stating: “If The Equalizer lacks gravitas, it is fairly sturdy as far as pure entertainment goes… And this film acts as an origin story with an ending that suggests a new franchise is afoot.” James Berardinelli of ReelViews gave the film three out of four stars, positively commenting on the pacing, further describing that it is “in no hurry to rush into things”.
In the wake of the first installment’s success two sequels titled The Equalizer 2 and The Equalizer 3 were released in 2018 and 2023 respectively. Both sequels saw Denzel Washington reprising the lead role whilst Antoine Fuqua occupied the director’s chair. A reboot of the original series of the same name with Queen Latifah in the titular role debuted on CBS in 2021 and due to its popularity the show even got renewed for a fifth season. Talks of The Equalizer 4, however, remain uncertain as Fuqua envisioned the third installment as the definitive conclusion of the blood-soaked, crime busting franchise but who knows? Anything could happen and it all depends on Denzel Washington’s interest in revisiting the character.
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Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
Originally published September 28, 2024. Updated December 3, 2024.
