The Equalizer 3 Will Film In Italy, Reveal More About Denzel Washington's Robert [Exclusive]

Its been four years now since Denzel Washington last played action hero Robert McCall, and according to director Antoine Fuqua, the third installment of "The Equalizer" project is still in progress. The filmmaker revealed new details about the movie in an upcoming interview with /Film's Jack Giroux.

Giroux asked Fuqua what he hopes to reveal about Robert McCall in the latest "Equalizer" film, to which the filmmaker responded that learning more about the character will be "key" to the new film. He also shared insight into the setting of the third "Equalizer" movie:

Hopefully, reveal a little more about Robert. Yeah, I think that's the key, to learn more about Robert McCall. We're shooting it in Italy, so that'd be fun. We're going to scout now. Sardinia, probably show up somewhere up the Amalfi Coast. Also, trying to find some small villages, seaside villages, things like that, and then we'll be in Sicily and Naples.

McCall has been a mysterious character ever since he first appeared in the CBS spy series of the same name in 1985. That show, which starred Edward Woodward and ran for four seasons, occasionally dipped into the retired agent's backstory but often kept details shadowy. The new "Equalizer" franchise, which began in 2014, has been just as evasive with the details about McCall.

We know that he's more than capable of kicking ass — often in creative ways, like when he uses barroom utensils to take out a group of mobsters or tortures a bad guy with exhaust fumes. Mostly, though, he's a fairly anonymous former DIA agent who helps sex workers, kidnapped kids, Holocaust survivors, and anyone else in need of his particular set of skills. Based on Fuqua's statements, though, it sounds like "The Equalizer 3" may finally give the character a more detailed backstory.

The latest installment also sounds like it'll be making a big jump with the European location. The first two "Equalizer" films took place largely in Boston, with brief side quests to Europe. If the team is scouting Sardinia, Sicily, Naples, and in smaller Italian villages, it seems like a significant chunk of the movie could take place abroad. While the plot remains under wraps, it's already been revealed that the script is completed, and that Dakota Fanning has a role in the film.

Fans of the franchise will find out when the film hits theaters September 1, 2023.