The Equalizer TV Series Starring Queen Latifah Reportedly in the Works

CBS has ordered a pilot production commitment to a reboot of The Equalizer starring Queen Latifah, according to Collider. This new series reboots the crime drama that aired for four seasons on CBS between 1985 and 1989, where Edward Woodward starred as ex-covert operations officer Robert McCall. The Equalizer followed vigilante fixer McCall as he set out to "equalize the odds," instructing needy clients to reach out through an ad: "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer: 212 555 4200." Columbia Pictures previously adapted the series in a pair of Antoine Fuqua-directed movies starring Denzel Washington as the titular Equalizer.

Andrew Marlowe, creator of ABC crime-drama Take Two and ABC's crime dramedy Castle, created the series with Terri Miller, and the pair will serve as showrunners. Queen Latifah will executive produce alongside John Davis and John Fox of Davis Entertainment, who recently rebooted Magnum P.I. for CBS with Jay Hernandez in the role made famous by Tom Selleck, as well as this year's Shaft that starred Samuel L. Jackson alongside Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree.

Also on board as producers are Debra Martin Chase for Martin Chase Productions, behind the just-released Harriet, Richard Lindheim, co-creator of the original series, and Shakim Compere for Flavor Unit, the entertainment arm founded by Compere and Latifah. Flavor Unit has backed such Latifah-starring projects as Beauty Shop, The Perfect Holiday, Bessie and The Queen Latifah Show.

"The Equalizer" stars Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-winning actor Edward Woodward ("Hot Fuzz," "Callan") as Robert McCall, a former covert operations officer for a mysterious American intelligence organization known as The Company. Nicknamed the "Equalizer" by another operative, McCall quits The Company after becoming disillusioned and embarks on a quest to atone for the sins of his past. He offers his services free of charge to those with nowhere else to turn through a newspaper classified ad that reads simply: "Got a problem? Odds against you? Call the Equalizer: 212 555 4200." As McCall haunts the violent backstreets of New York City meting out justice to criminals of all stripes, he is aided in his missions by former Company cohorts Mickey Kostmayer (Keith Szarabajka, "The Dark Knight"), Harley Gage (Richard Jordan, "The Hunt for Red October") and Jimmy (Mark Margolis, "Better Call Saul"). McCall often works with the head of The Company's Manhattan office, known only as Control (Robert Lansing, "The Man Who Never Was") when he needs assistance with missions.

Episodes of the original Equalizer are available to stream on NBC.com.