CBS has ficially greenlit the pilot, with Latifah starring in the role originally played by Edward Woodward & Denzel Washington, respectively.
We joked the other day about remakes being all that Hollywood can think about following news that Paramount Pictures is rebooting the 1997 killer snake thriller Anaconda. Well, it looks like we actually weren’t far f in the least bit following confirmation that CBS is working on a remake too the 1985 crime series The Equalizer starring Edward Woodward, this time with Queen Latifah as the titular character.
Of course, more people may remember the 2014 film adaptation (seen above) and its 2018 sequel, both starring Denzel Washington. The original TV series and its accompanying film remakes were all successful in their own right, so a new chapter for the next generation isn’t too farfetched in the least bit. As The Hollywood Reporter puts it, the Latifah-led series was put into production last November and will act as a “reimagining” the ’80s original. The series has only gotten a pilot production commitment so far, with potential for a full series pickup highly possible according to reports.
Take a look at some the technical specs for Queen Latifah’s The Equalizer reboot THR:
The new CBS take is written by Castle creators Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller, with Latifah also attached as an executive producer though her Flavor Unit banner. The potential series is a co-production between CBS TV Studios and Universal Television. The Blacklist duo John Fox and John Davis, Davis Entertainment, will also exec produce. Original Equalizer co-creator Richard Lindheim is also on board as an EP alongside Debra Martin Chase and her production company. Flavor Unit’s Shakim Compere will also oversee for the company.
Based on her co-starring roles in suspense thrillers like The Bone Collector, House Bodies and even serious roles like her breakout performance in Set It Off, we can definitely see Queen Latifah pulling this f. Watch a highlight reel Edward Woodward in-action during Season 1 The Equalizer below, then let us know if you can see Queen Latifah filling those shoes over in the comments: