Denzel Washington’s ‘The Equalizer’ May Get Rupert Wyatt to Direct

There's been word of Denzel Washington starring in a big screen version of 'The Equalizer' for a while now, which suggests that this project will eventually hit the big screen. For a while 'Drive' director Nicolas Winding Refn was attached, but that didn't work out, so now they're going for 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' helmer Rupert Wyatt.

This comes from Variety, who note that a spring start is wanted, so Wyatt will either be signed shortly, or it will go to someone else. Sony thinks they have a franchise on their hand, which is fair as the film would be based on the CBS TV show that ran for four seasons from 1985-1989. Washington's character is that of a former covert operations officer who becomes something of a private detective.

Wyatt had planned on making a film called 'Agent 13' as his follow-up to 'Rise,' but that seems to have fallen by the wayside, while the 'Apes' sequel is being helmed by Matt Reeves. 'The Equalizer' may not have been what Wyatt wanted, but it does sound like a project that is ready to go, and if he's been stuck in development hell (as it's called) with his latest, it might be nice to have something that's definitely going to get made. But if they're looking to start shooting in a month or two, that may mean less say-so over the material.