Russell Crowe sure seems to like intrigue and conspiracies, as while he ocassionally makes movies likes Robin Hood, he seems to spend most of his time sneaking around in underwhelming thrillers such as Body Of Lies, State Of Play and the upcoming The Next Three Days. Now he’s got a new pot-boiller on his hands, as the LA Times reports that he’s attached himself as the star of a movie version of the 1980s TV series, The Equaliser.
Crowe will play Robert McCall, the mysterious agent made famous by Edward Woodward. In the original show, McCall had a murky past working for an agency where he had to do terrible things. Seeking redemption, he left ‘The Company’ behind and set himself up as a private detective, each week helping those who the police can not – or will not – assist, while also dealing with his former boss and colleagues.
The concept would seem to have plenty of scope for a film version, from a modern noir to a full-on Bourne style action-thriller piece. However an Equalizer movie was mired in development at The Weinstein Company for years, with no forward movement ever seeming to happen. Now the project has been set free from that home and is with a group of high level producers, who hope to be able to use Crowe to lure in a studio and then work The Equalizer into something worth filming.