The 1980s television series The Equalizer is being turned into a feature film by Sony starring Denzel Washington in the role originally played by Edward Woodard. Now according to The Hollywood Reporter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt (who also helmed The Escapist) is likely to direct. Says THR, "Setting a director on Equalizer hasn’t been easy. After an initial search, Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive) was set to be the man behind the camera but split when he didn’t see eye to eye with Washington. In the last few weeks names such as Pete Berg were on the short list.
Washington is playing Robert McCall, the retired intelligence officer who helps the powerless. In the movie version, he is living a quiet life while working at a Home Depot, when one of his acts of kindness gets him embroiled with the Russian mob."
Adds Deadline.com, "The film is a smartly budgeted thriller based on the TV series that will come in around $50 million and is designed to launch the first franchise for Washington, who’ll be paid his customary $20 million.
The film is loosely based on the TV series that starred Edward Woodward as a mysterious former covert operations officer who helps people in trouble, and was created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. The film has that basic premise but takes off in its own way, tailored to Washington’s skills. He’ll play a solitary, monastic figure who hates injustice and devotes himself to helping people who are being victimized."
Comments