Denzel Washington To Play The Equalizer

When I was growing up, I watched “The Equalizer” on TV. I was too young to understand it, but my brothers kept saying it was so good. All I saw was an old dude wandering around in a trenchcoat, occasionally punching people or shooting them. It was only when I grew up that I realised what a total badass Edward Woodward really was.

When word first spread earlier this year that a big screen remake was being mounted, I started making a mental list of British actors who I thought could play the role… Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Patrick Stewart, or maybe even Michael Caine (who’d done something similar already with “Harry Brown”).

The today, a bit of casting news came out of nowhere. According to Deadline, the Equalizer is confirmed to be played by, the distinctly UN-British Denzel Washington. It’s unexpected and unusual, but once you get used to it, not a bad choice at all. Washington can do badass in his sleep. Directors are already being sought for the projects, with names like Pierre Morel (“Taken”), Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”), Gavin O’Connor (“Warrior”) and Gareth Evans (“The Raid”) being thrown around.

Deadline describes the next version like this: “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. The film is being produced by Black, Blumenthal, Tisch, Alex Siskin, Mace Neufeld, Michael Sloan, Tony Eldridge. David Bloomfield is exec producer. Washington is repped by WME, Wenk by Gersh and Richard Arlook.”

Production is expected to begin 8th April, with shooting likely taking place in Boston.