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Denzel Washington Testy Over Equalizer Sequel

Denzel Washington has refused to be drawn on whether The Equalizer will develop into his first franchise.

The Oscar winner, whose films have grossed more than $2bn (£1.2bn) at the box office, is one of the biggest draws in cinema but has never made a follow up movie.

Speaking to Sky News, the star said: "I've been asked before to do a sequel but look, the audience is first, the offer is second and the script is next - it depends on the material."

Washington is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars - 14 of his last 15 movies have opened to more than $20m (£12m) in the US - but he has resisted doing sequels to Inside Man, Safe House and Training Day.

Denzel bristled at my suggestion he gave a "diplomatic answer" to the question of whether The Equalizer will be his first sequel: telling me to "sit down" despite my time being up.

"Listen, sit down, that's not a diplomatic answer - that's a fact, that's a fact. If it's not on the page I'm not doing it," he said.

Washington will need all of his star power to resist pressure for a sequel.

It has been reported that the action movie has earned the highest test scores with audiences for an R-rated movie in Sony's history and screenwriter Richard Wenk has apparently already signed up to write another movie.

The Equalizer, which also stars Chloe Grace Moretz, is in cinemas now.