In the second half of the 1980s, while Scott Baio was babysitting herds of Aryan children on Charles in Charge and Bronson Pinchot was baking bibi-babkas on Perfect Strangers, there was a man named Edward Woodward, who kept busy by taking down New York criminals in an effort to atone for his history of shady murders. Onscreen, this man was known as The Equalizer, and was one musty, Stewart Copeland-backed badass. Deadline reports that Copeland’s saga is readying to be revived, with Denzel Washington closing a deal to take on the character in a big screen adaptation. Circling the action pic (which is being set up as Washington’s first franchise) are Pierre Morel (Taken), Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), Gavin O’Connor (Warrior) and Gareth Evans (The Raid) — all with expertise to match Washington’s own physicality.
This might be among the most appropriate of ’80s television roles for Washington to embody. The man is cold, fearless, and unapologetic, yet somehow noble and heroic. But the very suggestion of the contemporary film star taking on a character from television’s golden decade does lead one to imagine the possibilities…
A Who’s the Boss? movie: Picture Washington as an ex ballplayer who takes up a living as the housemaid for a well-to-do Judith Light. A Cosby Show movie: picture Washington as an obstetrician and family man who teaches his four daughters and dyslexic son life lessons through goldfish funerals and blues songs consisting primarily of the name “Justine.” An ALF movie: picture Washington as an extraterrestrial visitor with a snide wit and a taste for cats. He can play an alcoholic bar owner in a Cheers movie, a cross-dressing roommate in a Bosom Buddies movie, a high school student desperately in love with Winnie Cooper in a Wonder Years movie. Oh, the doors that The Equalizer has opened up. Just picture it.
But first, we’ll get The Equalizer, with production on the film set to begin in April of 2013.
[Photo Credit: David Edwards/Daily Celeb]
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