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120 Grams of Cocaine Seized From Equalizer 3 Crew Members
Italian police seize 120 grams of cocaine after raiding the hotel rooms of catering staff hired for The Equalizer 3. Antoine Fuqua returns to direct the third film in the thrilling action series, which officially began production in October. Denzel Washington is set to reprise his role as Robert McCall, the franchise's lead vigilante crime fighter, alongside Dakota Fanning in a currently unknown role. Italy's Eagle Pictures and Sony Pictures have partnered on the production of The Equalizer 3, with Garbo Produzioni responsible for the on-set services.
The Equalizer is a 2014 action film inspired by the 1985 CBS spy thriller of the same name. The first film follows Washington as Robert McCall, a former Marine and DIA agent who faked his own death in order to pursue a quieter lifestyle with the woman he loved. McCall is forced back into his old ways when confronted by Alina (Chloë Grace Moretz), a teenage girl who is being trafficked by the Russian Mafia. A sequel, The Equalizer 2, premiered four years later in 2018. The third film in the franchise was discussed upon the sequel's release, though The Equalizer 3 didn't enter official development until earlier this year.
Per Variety, Italian newspaper Il Giornale reported that Italian paramilitary police uncovered 120 grams of cocaine in a raid at the resort of Maiori, where crew members for The Equalizer 3 are currently being housed. The raid was conducted after the head of the film's catering service suffered a fatal heart attack the previous evening, and officials found small bags of cocaine on his person. Two members of the catering crew were placed under house arrest for alleged drug dealing charges, with an additional crew member losing his driver's license over possession of a small amount of cocaine. Garbo Produzioni gave no comment regarding the incident at this time.
How Equalizer 3 Incident Could Impact the Film Industry
The consequences of this incident could have a ripple effect on the film industry at large. The Equalizer 3 is filming in Italy for a number of reasons, primarily because the Italian government offers generous tax incentives to those wishing to produce on site. These subsidies make Italy a particularly attractive place for filmmakers to use local production companies, such as Garbo Produzioni, to assist in on-site operations. The backlash from this raid could cause local officials to rethink how these incentives may have enabled this event. Sony Pictures has yet to issue a comment on whether the incident will impact their production schedule for The Equalizer 3 going forward.
The Equalizer 3 is currently in its fourth week of production, with no signs so far of stopping in spite of this production incident. Viewers are looking forward to watching Washington and Fanning reunite for the first time since they both appeared in Tony Scott's movie Man on Fire. The Equalizer 3 is anticipated to release in theaters in September 2023.
