Directors considered de-aging Denzel Washington for The Equaliser 3

Director Antoine Fuqua thought about 'de-aging' Denzel Washington for The Equalizer 3 and has hinted that it could still happen for an ‘origin story’ Equalizer movie.

The Oscar-winning actor first appeared as former spy Robert McCall in 2014’s The Equalizer and reprised the role for the 2018 sequel - imaginatively titled The Equalizer 2 - and will once again return to the character in the upcoming third movie, due to be released next week.

The Equalizer 3 was confirmed last year by Washington, who said in January 2022 that the film script had been completed and he'd have to get back into shape for his action scenes.

And Equalizer director Fuqua has now revealed that he had considered using new technologies to ‘de-age’ the actor - like we saw with Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

In a recent interview in the NME, Fuqua was asked if he had considered using the technology to knock a few years off McCall, to which he replied: “I definitely thought about it a lot."

Sony Pictures

And while it had been believed that The Equalizer 3 would be the last outing for Washington’s McCall with promos for the flick teasing ‘the final chapter’.

Fuqua has said he will be keeping a close eye on the technology in regard to creating a possible origin movie about McCall.

"Especially now with the new technology and the AI and all of that kind of stuff," he went on. "Is there a story to be told about how [McCall] became this person – the younger version. I’ve had that conversation with Richard Wenk [who co-wrote all three Equalizer films] quite a bit.”

The director went on to praise the technology - which we also saw used in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman - saying it was ‘very realistic’ and that those who used the technology did so ‘very skilfully’.

However, before you get too excited - Fuqua went on to say that he hadn’t touted the idea to the 68-year-old star.

“I haven’t talked to Denzel about that yet,” he said.

Sony Pictures

“It’s all so fresh and new. I’m still watching [the technology]. I’ve watched Harrison Ford’s film and I know there’s other movies coming out.

“I think Sony has one coming out with Tom Hanks soon. And I’m hearing the technology is getting better and better and better. So I’m kind of watching it to see where it goes.”

For now, fans will have to content themselves with the third movie in the franchise, which is released on 1 September.

The movie reunites Washington and Dakota Fanning almost 20 years after they starred together in 2004's Man on Fire where he played a former CIA agent and she starred as the daughter of a rich entrepreneur who was abducted while under his watch.