First announced over a year ago, when Russell Crowe was said to be attached to star, Sony Pictures' big screen adaptation of the the late 80s CBS vigilante crime-solving series, The Equalizer, is apparently still very much in the studios pipeline; this time however, in an announcement the made today (via Coming Soon), in which it stated that it had extended its first-look deal with Escape Artists, Denzel Washington is now the man being eyed to star the film.

Here's the exact quote:

A feature film adaptation of the hit 1980s television series "The Equalizer," to be written by Richard Wenk. The project is being developed with Denzel Washington in mind to star and Alex Siskind is partnered with Escape Artists to produce.

There's more, but that's the meaty part. 

The TV series, which I remember watching and liking, though I was a kid at the time, was set in New York, and centered on a former secret agent (played by the late Edward Woodward) with a "mysterious past" who tries to atone for past sins by offering, free of charge, his services as an investigator, aided by a diverse group of other sometimes-mysterious contacts (some of whom date back to his spying days).

An adaptation isn't at all necessary; they could just come up with a new crime/detective story idea, and write a script based on that. But, you know how these studios are. The series ran for 5 seasons, and I don't recall how much of a hit show it was for CBS. 

What I remember most is the soundtrack that accompanied the series' opening credits, which was created by Stewart Copeland of The Police, which actually became a hit for him.

Watch below: