Although Nicolas Winding Refn was previously rumored to be eyeing the director's chair on Columbia Pictures' upcoming adaptation of The Equalizer, Deadline is reporting that Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) has entered early talks to helm. Denzel Washington is attached to play the lead.

A feature film adaptation of the hit 1980s television series, the original show was created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim. It starred Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a private detective with a lot of contacts who is available for hire if you have a problem that you don't know how to solve.

The movie was written by Richard Wenk with Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch producing through Escape Artists, alongside Alex Siskin, Mace Neufeld, Tony Eldridge, Michael Sloan, and Washington.

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