denzel washington

MGM Reteams Washington And Fuqua For THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

Director Antoine Fuqua is having a pretty good year in film, with The Equalizer on deck for a Fall release and a sequel in the works. In addition to his attachment to producer Ridley Scott’s new crime thriller, Narco Sub, Fuqua is also posied to helm a theatrical remake of the classic Western, The Magnificent Seven.

Well, MGM is noticing a pattern nowadays, one which has much to do with the seemingly lucrative partnership between Fuqua and actor Denzel Washington since their memorable work on the 2001 crime drama, Training Day. Plus, with all the buzz now surrounding the duo’s work on The Equalizer, it’s understandable the studio would adhere to the excitement and are now looking to cast Washington in the remake.

The original 1960 film from director John Sturges that saw actors Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen leading a grizzled cast of tough gunslingers protecting a defenseless agricultural village from marauding native bandits. The film was also a Western cinematic nod to Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 period adventure, Seven Samurai, and was inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for preservation last year.

No word yet on when filming will commense for the remake as Fuqua is currently set to direct boxing drama, Southpaw as of March.

The Equalizer will release on September 26, 2014.

H/T: Variety

Watch The New Trailer For THE EQUALIZER

Lee B. Golden III

After several months of slowly disseminating set pics and stills, Sony/Columbia recently began ramping up promitional efforts for director Antoine Fuqua‘s latest film, The Equalizer, loosely based on the original 1985-1989 TV series starring the late Edward Woodward. As such, the film granted the public with a brand new poster of the film just last week, which you can take a look at below:

Aside from other usual action tropes, the film is poised to be one of the more physically demanding roles that lead actor Denzel Washington (Man On Fire, 2 Guns, The Book Of Eli) endured in preparation for the titular role, as so illustrated by Fuqua of Washington‘s “sustained intensity” and minimal use of firearms in Washington’s featured action sequences. “He really hits those mitts,” Fuqua tells USA Today. “And you imagine what he’ll do to you. You might underestimate him. That’s your first mistake.” Fuqua then adds “His hand-to-hand work is pretty nasty when the monster comes out, …We used what was around him. You’d be surprised what he can do with a corkscrew. You’ll never open a bottle of wine the same way again.”

The film reunites Fuqua with Washington since their previous pairing on the award-winning 2001 crime drama, Training Day, and might do so again now that approving test audiences have already granted The Equalizer a sequel with franchise potential similar to Liam Neeson’s Taken trilogy. Despite this, as always, this will depend on how this one performs at the box office. “The audience will decide that,” Washington tells USA Today. “You can’t make No. 2 before you make No. 1. It’s called show business. We’ve handled the show part of it. We’ll see how the business part goes.”.

The Equalizer evens the score in theaters on September 26, 2014. Watch the trailer and stay tuned for more news ahead.

SYNOPSIS:

In The Equalizer, Denzel Washington plays McCall, a former black ops commando who has faked his death to live a quiet life in Boston. When he comes out of his self-imposed retirement to rescue a young girl, Teri (Chloë Grace Moretz), he finds himself face to face with ultra-violent Russian gangsters. As he serves vengeance against those who brutalize the helpless, McCall’s desire for justice is reawakened. If someone has a problem, the odds are stacked against them, and they have nowhere else to turn, McCall will help. He is The Equalizer.

H/T: Indiewire/Shadow And Act, USA Today, Yahoo! Movies

Chloe Moretz Gets A Role In THE EQUALIZER

Lee B. Golden III

Director Jeff Wadlow’s upcoming real-world superhero action comedy, Kick Ass 2 won’t unleash Hit Girl’s new moves until August 16. But that hasn’t stopped Chloë Moretz from making headlines this week with Deadline reporting on Friday that the 16 year old actress is ready to push the envelope a little more with her career in the upcoming TV-to-film adaptation of The Equalizer.

Moretz is being tapped to play the role of “Teri” after a chemistry reading with lead actor Denzel Washington, who was said to be impressed with her performance, as was everyone in the room who attended. The role is being redrawn for Moretz and is described as a prostitute, portrayed in the same vein of Jodie Foster’s role in Martin Scorsese’s 1976 crime thriller, Taxi Driver.

THE EQUALIZER, loosely based on the hit 1980’s television series, will star Washington as “a solitary, monastic figure who hates injustice and devotes himself to helping people who are being victimized.” An earlier report from The Hollywood Reporter indicates that the plot may involve Washington’s character taking on the Russian mob as a result of one of his acts of kindness.

Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Alex Siskin, Mace Neufeld, Michael Sloan, and Tony Eldridge are producing, with David Bloomfield serving as executive producer. Anton Fuqua (The Replacement Killers, Olympus Has Fallen) has been tapped to direct.

Meantime, Moretz is set to star in the upcoming horror remake of Carrie this October. Washington will star in the August 2, 2013 release of 2 Guns, co-starring Mark Wahlberg, directed by Baltazar Kormakur.

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Three Minutes Of Explosive Action From 2 GUNS

Lee B. Golden III

The new extended trailer for the upcoming action drama from Universal Pictures, 2 Guns, is now available online. Based on the graphic novel by b Steven Grant, the film stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg as a DEA Agent and a Naval Intelligence officer who become unwitting pawns in an intricate set-up by the mob.

Director Anton Fuqua Tapped For THE EQUALIZER

Lee B. Golden III

With actor Russell Crowe, and directors Rupert Wyatt and Nicolas Winding Refn all passing up having anything to do with rebooting The Equalizer, Deadline is reporting that filmmaker Anton Fuqua is being eyed to helm Sony’s big screen adaptation of the television series. The film will reunite Fuqua with actor Denzel Washington since their previous work on the 2001 crime drama, Training Day, which earned Washington an Academy Award for Best Actor.