Justice may be coming in the form of Queen Latifah, as CBS orders a pilot production commitment to remake The Equalizer from Castle and Take Two creator Andrew Marlowe and his wife Terri Miller. If picked for series, the premise will focus on the award-winning, multi-talented Queen (who’s also one of the executive producers) in the role of an enigmatic figure who uses her skills to help those who have nowhere else to go.
The original series aired on CBS from 1985 to 1989 with Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former agent for The Company with a reputation of being the most dangerous man the world has ever known. Seeking redemption for his sins, he offers his services to the helpless: people who have the odds stacked against them, people who have their backs up against the wall, people who are in need of someone like McCall to equalize the odds in their favor and balance the scales of justice.
The Equalizer was also brought to the big screen in 2014 with Denzel Washington on fire as McCall, a knight in shining armor against corrupt police officers and Russian mobsters on behalf a young prostitute (Chloe Grace Moretz). Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film’s success led to last summer’s Equalizer 2, where McCall rose to seek revenge – and justice – against those responsible for the death of his close friend Susan (Melissa Leo): leaving him some time to prevent a young talented kid named Miles from becoming a gangster.
Queen Latifah, whose real name is Dana Owens, can be seen as Ursula the Sea Witch on ABC’s The Little Mermaid Live.