It’s been three years since Denzel Washington sprang into action as the unstoppable former intelligence officer Robert McCall in The Equalizer 3, yet the actor has been clear that he isn’t done yet. In 2024, he revealed to Esquire that a fourth and fifth film in the franchise were in development that would keep him going after bad guys for the foreseeable future. However, that hasn’t stopped him from pursuing other projects in the meantime. He’s booked for the upcoming heist flick The Take, formerly known as Here Comes the Flood, with Robert Pattinson and Daisy Edgar-Jones next year and is coming off a team-up with Spike Lee on the acclaimed Highest 2 Lowest.
Now, Washington may have found his next big thriller after The Equalizer trilogy. Better yet, it involves another modern action icon. Deadline reported this evening that the two-time Oscar winner is joining forces with Mission: Impossible director Christopher McQuarrie for an original crime project that’s just been greenlit at United Artists and Amazon MGM Studios. It’s currently slated to release on October 1, 2027.
The film remains untitled, but the plot will revolve around “a former police detective serving a life sentence who is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.” He’s granted compassionate release to do what he wishes with the six months he has left, and he decides to return home to reconnect with his estranged daughter and the grandson he did not know existed. Although his only hope before he dies is to make amends, that’s easier said than done when his dark past rears its ugly head to collect its due. Into the Dark and Edge of Fear writers Scott Barkan and Gregg Zehentner penned the script, which sounds like another emotional affair for Washington that will blend thrills with real heart.
Washington and McQuarrie Came Together During a Gap in Their Schedules
This new crime thriller was only made possible due to a bit of serendipity. Washington had initially planned to reunite with his The Equalizer director, Antonie Fuqua, for a historical epic centered on the infamous Carthaginian general Hannibal at Netflix. However, budgetary issues ultimately made the streamer press pause on pre-production, leaving a window for him to explore other projects. McQuarrie, meanwhile, just finished up a lengthy stint working with Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible franchise with the apparent send-off, The Final Reckoning, last year, and hoped to return to his crime roots from films like The Usual Suspects. With their overlap, the two came together, and Washington chose to prioritize McQuarrie‘s idea. Producers are looking to move quickly on the project and are seeking an actress to play the actor’s on-screen daughter.
via Collider