Production on the upcoming installment in the Equalizer franchise began less than a month ago in Italy, and things are already off to a rocky start. On Monday evening, the head of the film’s catering service died of a heart attack, and when police found small amounts of cocaine on his person, things got even more troubled. Italian police raided the hotel rooms where the cast and crew have been staying and found quite a bit of cocaine, which is generally not something that people should have.
According to Variety, Italian police found 120 grams of cocaine which led to several of the movie’s catering crew members being placed under house arrest in the hotel on alleged drug dealing charges. A third member was also found with cocaine and had their driver’s license pulled, while police also searched the movie’s production camp. It was first reported by the Italian news outlet Il Giornale.
Despite the tiny setback, The Equalizer 3 is expected to hit theaters on September 1st 2023. The film stars Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning and is based on the hit 1980s spy series of the same name. Washington stars as, you guessed it, The Equalizer who sets out to protect those who need his help. So, your standard Denzel Washington action movie.
A series based on the original television show premiered last year, starring Queen Latifah as the titular equalizer and street vigilante, a role she was born to play. Maybe Washington will let her step in for The Equalizer 4, as long as there aren’t any more drug busts.