With an April 2014 release date staring Sony Pictures straight in the eye, they’ve been scrambling to find a director for the Denzel Washington-led thriller The Equalizer. The first possibility came in the form of Drive‘s Nicolas Winding Refn, but after creative differences, he split and for a brief moment, Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt was circling, before also departing.
Now it looks like the studio may have their man, as Deadline reports a Training Day reunion could be in the works with Antoine Fuqua in early talks to helm. After directing Washington to his Oscar in the 2001 crime drama, it’s fairly surprising it has taken this long for these two talents to come together, but with Fuqua done with work on this weekend’s Olympus Has Fallen, his schedule is open for the time being.
Fuqua is still developing the boxing drama Southpaw, but with a spring Boston shoot in the works for this thriller, it would come before it. Scripted by Richard Wenk, the thriller has had the Flight star attached since its inception and will follow him as a “troubleshooter” (Robert McCall in the original ’80s TV series) employed for a company called “The Agency.” This line of business sees him do private investigating and business with a more physical bent, all in the name of doling out justice to those who are truly deserving. With a budget of $50 million and franchise hopes, expect confirmation soon.
Would you like to see Fuqua and Washington reteam?