BREAKING: Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn has been selected to direct The Equalizer for Sony Pictures and Escape Artists. The film, loosely based on the 1980s TV series, has been a hot ticket for directors since Denzel Washington agreed to play the title role. A number of directors had been considered along the way. Negotiations toward a deal will begin immediately with Refn.
Production is set to begin in late spring 2013. The script was written by Richard Wenk, and Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch are producing through Escape Artists, along with Alex Siskin, Mace Neufeld, Tony Eldridge, Michael Sloan, and Washington. David Bloomfield will executive produce, and Andrea Giannetti and Hannah Minghella are overseeing for Columbia.
The TV series, originally created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim, starred Edward Woodward as a mysterious former covert operations officer who helps people in trouble. 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. It seems a strong match for Washington, who’s in the Best Actor Oscar mix for his performance in the Robert Zemeckis-directed Flight.
Refn, repped by WME and Anonymous Content, most recently helmed the incredibly violent Only God Forgives with his Drive star Ryan Gosling.
The last thing we heard on this movie was that Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt might end up replacing Nicolas Winding Refn as the director for the big screen adaptation of of the 1980s TV series The Equalizer. Well now according to Deadline it's looking like Training Day director Antoine Fuqua is going to be taking it on.
This would reteam him with Denzel Washington who is attached to star in the movie as the main character Robert McCall, a former spy turned private detective. Fuqua is a talented director, and it would be cool to see these two guys work their movie making magic again. Fuqua's latest film Olympus Has Fallen comes out this weekend.
Robert McCall is a tough-as-nails, no-BS private eye who went into business for himself after leaving the shadowy agency he once worked for. McCall works on behalf of those whose problems the police cannot - or will not - get involved in. His card reads, 'Got a problem? Odds against you? Need help? Call - The Equalizer'. Through 4 seasons, Robert McCall went up against some of the worst elements that New York City had - including gangs, mobsters, crooked cops, vigilantes, stalkers and even psychopathic stockbrokers.
I don't even see why they have to keep the "Equalizer" brand on this. It could really be called almost anything since it bares very little resemblance to the original TV show. I mean is there really that much money in the "Equalizer" brand name?
And yeah with Refn out, along with that goes my interest.
I don't even see why they have to keep the "Equalizer" brand on this. It could really be called almost anything since it bares very little resemblance to the original TV show. I mean is there really that much money in the "Equalizer" brand name?
And yeah with Refn out, along with that goes my interest.
Refn - well at least we're spared another 'Only God Forgives' . Might have got a 'Drive' I suppose on the other hand...
Haven't heard a lot about this film, but just wanted to share that this is appearantly getting an IMAX release as well, as it got confirmed on the release list of Pathé cinemas here in the Netherlands.
I would have preferred Refn, too. Fuqua is faar too inconsistent to warrant getting excited about it. That said, he did do a good job with Training Day so maybe theres a chance this won't be boring and generic. I
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The Equalizer (Denzel Washington)
. Might have got a 'Drive' I suppose on the other hand...
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