Antoine Fuqua
Antoine Fuqua

Previously attached to direct Universal’s “Scarface” remake, Antoine Fuqua dropped out of the project earlier this year, to focus on Sony’s sequel to “The Equalizer” which will see him reunite with Denzel Washington.

With filming set to begin this fall, Sony Pictures has set a September 2018 release date for “The Equalizer 2,” although details on story and other casting aren’t public at this time.

In addition, the studio announced today that it has inked a first-look deal with Fuqua, via his Fuqua Films production shingle, which will begin with “Equalizer 2” and will be followed by other projects the veteran director wants to bring to the screen, including a Fred Hampton biopic which will be based on the book, “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther” by author by Jeffrey Haas, which was published in 2009 (hardcover).

The book uncovers the cold-blooded execution of Hampton at the hands of a conspiring police force, providing an engaging account that relentlessly pursues the murderers of the Black Panther leader – a 14-year process of bringing the killers to justice, and the 18-month court trial that followed.

Fuqua will direct from an already scripted adaptation of the book by Chris Smith. No word on casting, or an ETA on the project.

It’s been a busy 12 months for Antoine Fuqua; the director has also teamed up with Showtime for a dark medical drama titled “The City;” and he has AT&T’S Audience network drama series “Ice,” a scripted series on the underground diamond trade, which is currently airing. There was the “Magnificent Seven” remake starring Denzel Washington (last year); and Fuqua’s also executive producing CBS’ “Training Day” series, to name a handful of projects with his name on them.

You can pick up a copy of “The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther” here.