The Longstanding Partnership
Denzel Washington's next movie with director Antoine Fuqua is set to make history, breaking a record established 13 years ago. Over the course of Denzel's incredible career, he has worked with some great directors, ranging from Spike Lee to Ridley Scott and Robert Zemeckis. Starting back with Training Day in 2001, a strong relationship with director Antoine Fuqua began, and the fruits of this partnership remain over two decades later.
The Magnificent Seven Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, and director Antoine Fuqua
As announced in November 2023, Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua already have plans aligned to make more movies together. This came following The Equalizer 3's box office success and critical acclaim. Reports surfaced that Fuqua has agreed to direct the long-gestating movie where Denzel Washington will play Hannibal the Conqueror, an ancient Carthaginian general. The untitled Hannibal movie, produced by Netflix and written by Gladiator's John Logan, is more than just an exciting addition to Denzel's upcoming filmography, though. It represents a record-breaking milestone when discussed in relation to the star's entire movie history.
Denzel Washington as Robert McCall in The Equalizer 3
Denzel Washington's Hannibal movie with Antoine Fuqua officially will make the director Washington's most frequent collaborator after over 20 years. The duo's start with Training Day looked to be a one-time occurrence at first, as it took another 13 years for them to work together again. The Equalizer franchise finally reunited them and began a steady run where they made three movies together within a five-year span. Their return for The Equalizer 3 in 2023 gave them a fifth movie together, which tied Denzel's previous record. With Hannibal being the sixth movie working together, Antoine Fuqua is now officially Denzel's most frequent director.
Record-Breaking Milestone
Denzel Washington's next movie with director Antoine Fuqua is set to make history, breaking a record established 13 years ago. Over the course of Denzel's incredible career, he has worked with some great directors, ranging from Spike Lee to Ridley Scott and Robert Zemeckis. Thanks to his longevity and incredible status in Hollywood, this has included being very selective about who he works with the most. Starting back with Training Day in 2001, a strong relationship with director Antoine Fuqua began, and the fruits of this partnership remain over two decades later.
As announced in November 2023, Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua already have plans aligned to make more movies together. This came following The Equalizer 3's box office success and critical acclaim. Reports surfaced that Fuqua has agreed to direct the long-gestating movie where Denzel Washington will play Hannibal the Conqueror, an ancient Carthaginian general. The untitled Hannibal movie, produced by Netflix and written by Gladiator's John Logan, is more than just an exciting addition to Denzel's upcoming filmography, though. It represents a record-breaking milestone when discussed in relation to the star's entire movie history.
Denzel Washington's Hannibal movie with Antoine Fuqua officially will make the director Washington's most frequent collaborator after over 20 years. The duo's start with Training Day looked to be a one-time occurrence at first, as it took another 13 years for them to work together again. The Equalizer franchise finally reunited them and began a steady run where they made three movies together within a five-year span. Their return for The Equalizer 3 in 2023 gave them a fifth movie together, which tied Denzel's previous record. With Hannibal being the sixth movie working together, Antoine Fuqua is now officially Denzel's most frequent director.
The Legacy of Collaboration
The director who previously held Denzel Washington's most frequent collaborator record was Tony Scott. They worked together on five movies within a 15-year span between 1995 and 2010. It began with Crimson Tide, but the partnership really kicked into high gear during the mid-2000s. This came through Man on Fire in 2004, D\u00e9j\u00e0 Vu in 2006, The Taking of Pelham 123 in 2009, and Unstoppable in 2010. With Tony Scott passing away in 2012, they never had the opportunity to extend their partnership.
It was only a matter of time before Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington broke the actor's record, but Hannibal being the movie to do it is a great outcome. Based on the duo's frequent collaboration through the Equalizer franchise, the indications that The Equalizer 4 was possible made the action sequel an early contender to be the film that would give their partnership a new meaning. However, The Equalizer 3 ended the franchise, making their return for a fourth installment the least exciting option. Now that Fuqua and Washington are making the Hannibal the Conqueror movie, Denzel Washington's record will be broken with a fresh collaboration between them.