Back in 2019, Warner Bros commissioned a screenplay for the Training Day prequel from Black List literary talent Nick Yarborough, who had inherited his writing duties from scribe-turned-director David Ayer.
In the years since, updates regarding the feature-length follow-up to Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 Academy Award-winning crime drama were few and far in between. With the exception of two key moments.
As some of you may recall, radio silence was first broken in March 2022 with reports that this very prequel was moving forward, along with the confirmation of an official title — Training Day: Day of the Riot.
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The status update was brought to attention after California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the SB144 bill, effectively granting US$330 million of tax credits to the film and television industry on top of the US$330 million the state has already granted to Hollywood, as noted by Slash Film.
Warner Bros, of course, plated up a US$16.2 million slice of the pie, US$9.1 million of which is being kicked towards Training Day: Day of the Riot.
The second such occasion wherein the fans of hope were flamed occurred earlier this week during BH’s very own interview with Antoine Fuqua.
“We’re trying to find a director to do it at the moment, you know, and get the script right. That sort of thing. So it’s in development,” he noted while promoting The Equalizer 3, which also stars Denzel Washington.
When probed about whether he was keen to helm it himself, Fuqua bluntly responded without any further elaboration: “No… no.”
According to Collider, the prequel will take place nearly a decade prior to the events of the first film in late April of 1992 — two days before the Rodney King verdict was delivered. Los Angeles was already a “powder keg just waiting to explode” that week, and the decision to let the LAPD officers responsible for his beating walk free was the very fuse that sparked the infamous LA riots.
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Day of the Riot reportedly centres on a younger version of the crooked LAPD narcotics detective, Alonzo Harris, originally portrayed by Denzel Washington (arguably the latter’s most iconic role to date). Washington earned his first Academy Award for Best Actor thanks to Training Day; and his second golden statuette in total after Glory (Best Supporting Actor as Private Silas Trip).
Unfortunately, for glaring age-related reasons, neither Denzel Washington nor Ethan Hawke are currently attached to this project. Although there were rumours that the former’s son and Tenet star, John David Washington, was in discussion to portray young Detective Alonzo Harris. Here’s to hoping…
Now I know what you’re thinking.
After ravaging the legacy of two beloved IPs in The Sopranos (The Many Saints of Newark) and The Matrix (Resurrections) so recently, Warner Bros is understandably still in the doghouse. Fuel has only been added to the bonfire when you consider neither the original director at the helm, cast members in their roles, nor screenwriter are involved.
Plus, it doesn’t help the stench of the failed CBS Training Day series starring Bill Paxton and Justin Cromwell is still lingering — despite premiering almost half a decade ago back in 2017. But we’re holding out for the hope something special hits theatres in the coming years.
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Deadline notes that, at one stage, there was an idea to make the aforementioned series produced by the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer (Top Gun, Remember The Titans, Black Hawk Down) a “true sequel” set 15 years after the events of Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day, featuring the surviving main characters like Ethan Hawke’s rookie LAPD officer Jake Hoyt.
This obviously never came to fruition once negotiations with Hawke fell apart, although the fact such an idea did entice him to begin with indicates seeds of potential still exist within the established mythology.
Keep an eye out here for all the relevant updates on the forthcoming Training Day prequel Day of the Riot — casting details, release date, trailer, etc.
There’s more where that came from: we watched and ranked the top 10 Denzel Washington movies. Check it out now.
