Antoine Fuqua is a very busy man. After his 2013 action film Olympus Has Fallen became a sleeper box office hit, he worked with his Training Day leading man Denzel Washington on The Equalizer, an adaptation of the 1980s TV drama that’s due out September 26. He also signed on to direct the boxing drama Southpaw, starring Jake Gyllenhaal. However, there is yet another project on Fuqua’s table now: The Magnificent Seven. While the director has not yet confirmed his involvement with that western, Denzel Washington has reportedly been offered the lead part. If he accepts, it would mark the third collaboration between the director and the Oscar-winning actor.
The role that Washington was likely offered was Chris Larabee Adams, who Yul Brynner portrayed in John Sturges’ 1960 classic. A remake of MGM’s western has been in the talks for a while now. Tom Cruise was signed on to play Adams but dropped out last year, and Matt Damon, Kevin Costner and Morgan Freeman have all been linked to the project in the past as well. The 1960 western also starred Steve McQueen, James Coburn and Charles Bronson, among others, as American gunslingers trying to protect a poor Mexican village from bandits.
True Detective creator Nic Pizzolato penned an early draft at the story, which is already a remake of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai. However, Saving Mr. Banks‘ John Lee Hancock stepped in recently to polish the script, but was unable to commit to directing.
So, it looks like the job is definitely going to Mr. Fuqua and if he indeed does sign on, it’s very likely that Washington will accept as well. The two clearly enjoy working with each other and given the fantastic early buzz surrounding The Equalizer, a third collaboration would be a great idea for both of them. Tell us, would you like to see Denzel Washington and Antoine Fuqua remake The Magnificent Seven?