Summary

• The Book of Eli's new prequel show breaks career trends for Denzel Washington, being the first prequel to a movie he starred in.
• The show also marks the first time Denzel Washington has been recast in a franchise, with John Boyega taking over the lead role, adding pressure to Boyega's performance.
• Denzel Washington's movies have rarely launched franchises, making The Book of Eli's prequel show a unique endeavor.

The Book of Eli's new prequel show breaks two major career trends for Denzel Washington. The 2010 action movie The Book of Eli starred Denzel Washington as a blind warrior protecting the Bible in the apocalypse. It was a surprise success, making $157 million at the box office, which typically would leave Hollywood studios to begin thinking of ways to continue the franchise. The Book of Eli's ending complicated matters, though, by killing Washington's character. This left the options of a sequel following Mila Kunis' character (Solara) or someone else or exploring the world through a prequel setting.

14 years after the movie's release, The Book of Eli is getting a prequel TV show as a way to expand the franchise. The series hails from the original movie's writer, Gary Whitta, and is confirmed to involve directors Albert and Allen Hughes. However, John Boyega is taking over the lead role of Eli, with Denzel Washington not returning for the prequel after all this time. The details of The Book of Eli's prequel show mean that it will be responsible for two firsts when it comes to Washington's movie career.

The Book Of Eli Show Is The First Prequel To A Denzel Washington Movie

Both Training Day and The Equalizer Have Spawned Sequels

The first career trend The Book of Eli show is breaking comes through its setting. It will be the first prequel to a Denzel Washington movie. Washington's movies have only rarely launched franchises of any kind. He has been approached over the years about making prequel movies, such as one for Safe House, but the project never materialized. A prequel for Training Day, to be titled Training Day: Day of the Riot, was also reported as in development, but seems unlikely to come tor fruition. Now, The Book of Eli's prequel show will be the first of a kind for a franchise Washington was the lead of.

They talked it with Safe House, like a prequel to Safe House, but I don’t know what happened to that.

However, Denzel Washington's movies becoming remade or expanded upon is nothing new. Training Day became a franchise with a sequel TV series, but Washington did not return to star in it. So far, only The Equalizer franchise is responsible for producing any sequel movies that keep Washington in the lead. His movies are also not typically remade, although he has starred in a few different remakes, such as The Taking of Pelham 123 and The Magnificent Seven.

Man on Fire is being remade as a TV show for Netflix - however, the show is in early development, and does not currently have a release date.

The Book of Eli Is Denzel Washington's First Franchise To Recast Him

John Boyega Will Take On The Role Of The Younger Eli

The other notable first for Denzel Washington that The Book of Eli is making comes with John Boyega's casting. The Star Wars trilogy star is taking over the lead role of Eli so the prequel show can explore his life 30 years earlier. This is significant because it marks the first time a franchise has recast Denzel Washington. No other projects have attempted to do this before, especially any directly connected to the canon of Washington's movie, which The Book of Eli's prequel show reportedly is.

This fact adds a bit more pressure to John Boyega when it comes to making The Book of Eli. Following in Denzel Washington's footsteps would never be easy, and a prequel show inherently means viewers will compare Boyega's performance and mannerisms to those of Washington in the 2010 movie. However, the added weight of Boyega being the first actor to play a recast character Denzel previously played certainly makes The Book of Eli's show more noteworthy.

The Book of Eli is currently available to stream on AMC, and no network or streaming service is attached to the prequel.