CBS picks up pilot for Queen Latifah’s ‘The Equalizer’ remake

The Flavor Unit exec hopes that this reboot joins the list of the network's string of hit remakes of popular series from yesteryear

CBS is picking up the pilot for The Equalizer, a remake that Queen Latifah will not only serve as executive produce but also star as the lead.

Dawn Onley

Jan 30, 2020

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CBS is picking up the pilot for The Equalizer, a remake that Queen Latifah will not only serve as executive produce but also star as the lead.

In the reimagined show, which was written by Castle creators Andrew Marlowe and Terri Miller, Queen Latifah, 49, will play the lead role originally made famous by Edward Woodward. In the rebooted role, Deadline reports the actress uses her impressive skill set to help those in desperate need of help and with nowhere else to go.

The original Equalizer TV series, created by Richard Lindheim and Michael Sloan, aired on CBS for four seasons in the mid to late 1980s. Woodward played Robert McCall, a retired intelligence agent who uses skills gained from that career to help innocent people in dangerous circumstances get justice.

Marlowe and Miller will serve as executive producers of the series along with John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment, Debra Martin Chase of Martin Chase Productions, Lindheim, Shakim Compere and Queen Latifah of her company, Flavor Unit. Universal Television, which produced the original series, will also co-produce the remake, along with CBS TV Studios.

If the pilot becomes a series, The Equalizer would be the latest in CBS’ reboot lineup, which also includes Hawaii Five-0, MacGyver, Magnum P.I., SEAL Team and SWAT.

The Equalizer made its way to the big screen in 2014. Directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington as McCall, the movie was successful and a second film, The Equalizer 2, was released in 2018.

Recently, Queen Latifah starred in Star, a music drama that ran on Fox for three years. And the Living Single actress has been busy promoting her role as Ursula in The Little Mermaid to run live on ABC, according to HuffPost.