The Equalizer 2 (also promoted as The Equalizer II and EQ2) is a 2018 American vigilante action-thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua. It is the sequel to the 2014 film The Equalizer, which was based on the TV series of the same name, as well as the second installment of The Equalizer trilogy. The film stars Denzel Washington in the lead role, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, and Orson Bean in his final film role. It follows ex-Marine and retired DIA officer Robert McCall as he sets out on a path of revenge after one of his friends is murdered. The film is the fourth collaboration between Washington and Fuqua, following Training Day (2001), The Equalizer (2014), and The Magnificent Seven (2016), and marks the first time Washington has starred in a sequel to one of his films. Talks of a sequel began seven months prior to the release of the first film. The project was officially announced in April 2015. Filming began in September 2017 and took place in Boston and other areas in Massachusetts. The Equalizer 2 was released in the United States on July 20, 2018, by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received mixed reviews and was a commercial success, like its predecessor, grossing $190 million worldwide. Another sequel, The Equalizer 3, was released on September 1, 2023.