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Denzel Washington is one of the greatest performers of his generation. He has displayed remarkable versatility and powerful dramatic roles and has proven himself over the years.
He has established his status as a leading star through roles inMalcolm X,The Pelican Brief, Philadelphia, The Hurricane,andRemember the Titans.The actor also achieved an Academy Award in the Best Actor category for portraying a corrupt cop inTraining Day.
No doubt, Washington has had a notable career with some incredible films, but he hasn’t been part of any major film franchises, which may come as a surprise, given his talent and popularity.
Also read:“I don’t know where it is now though”: Equalizer 3 Director Admits 5 Hour Long Director’s Cut of Another $162M Denzel Washington Movie Exists Like Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Denzel Washington Has Done Only 1 Franchise Because He was Never Asked to do More
In a 2018 interview withVariety, Denzel Washington mentioned that he rarely gets approached for sequels to his films, even if they perform well or have the potential for more stories.
Movies likeMan on FireorThe Book of Elihad the potential to become franchises for the actor, but such opportunities never materialized. He even turned down the few sequel offers he received beforeThe Equalizer. He said:“I haven’t been asked.”
He continued:
“The only time I’ve been asked was for ‘Safe House,’ but that didn’t make sense because my character had died, so they were talking about a prequel. And I was asked for ‘Inside Man. But this one just made sense.”
The truth is, Washington was and still is open to doing more franchises and sequels, but he hasn’t been asked very often.
According to the star,The Equalizer 2was the first sequel offer that actually “made sense” to him. By holding out and carefully selecting the franchise, he achieved success with the movies, even though this choice might have contributed to the misconception that he is against working in franchises.
Also read:“I’ll be a role model by being great at my job”: After Refusing to Kiss White Actresses, Denzel Washington Had to Fight One Major Controversy That Risked His Career in $104M Movie
Denzel Washington Could Have Expanded Franchise Roles with the Right Opportunities
Denzel Washingtoncould have been in more than one franchise if he had landed in some of the bigger roles in his past. But he lost two of the biggest lifetime opportunities that could have shaped his career — filling it with more franchise projects.
Before Wesley Snipes was cast, Washington was considered as a potential candidate to play the Marvel superhero Blade. It’s because New Line’s head, Mike DeLuca, initially said that he would fund the superhero movie if they managed to cast Denzel Washington. But it is not clear if the Hollywood actor was ever approached or if he himself had any interest in the role.
There’s another film for which Washington could have headlined — the48 Hoursfranchise. The buddy-cop film was in development for years, and he was even considered for the lead role of Reggie Hammond. However, the role went to Eddie Murphy, while theEqualizerstar had to wait more than three decades for his first franchise opportunity.
The Equalizer 3is playing in theatres worldwide.
Also read:“I was ready to quit acting”: After Series of Bad Movies, Ryan Gosling’s Wife Had Enough of Hollywood Failures Before Denzel Washington Single Handedly Changed Her Fate
Source:Variety
Shreya Jha
Articles Published :1042
Meet Shreya, FandomWire’s go-to Pop-Culture Writer. She holds a master’s degree in Journalism and a pop culture obsession that rivals even the most die-hard ‘Star Wars’ and Marvel fans.Her articles have been published in Animated Times, Creator Mail, and The Luxxe Mag. When Shreya’s not busy dishing out hot takes, she is lost in the world of rom-coms.
