http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/ ... dward.html
The relevant middle bit:
The actor [Russell Crowe] has attached himself to play Robert McCall, the mysterious agent made famous by Woodward in the 1980s CBS crime series. Fans of the series will remember that McCall's background was murky -- he once worked for a top-secret agency, where he did some pretty horrible things -- and we watched him every week in his new, repentance-minded guise, righting wrongs for the persecuted by settling scores with their persecutors (and assorted miscreants)....
Mired for years in development at the Weinstein Co., the cinematic reimagining of "The Equalizer" now is with a group of high-level producers: industry veteran Mace Neufeld ("Hunt for Red October" and a slew of action hits), who's actually been involved for a while; Adam Sandler collaborator Alex Siskin; and Escape Artists, the company that produced action movies like "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" and darker films like "Seven Pounds." There's no studio on board yet, but it's been making the rounds to a number of Hollywood studios for several weeks, some of which have shown interest.
There's good reason for that. The 1980s have shown some box-office life with "The Karate Kid," which became an unqualified hit last weekend. Of course, that was a family-oriented crowd-pleaser. Going gritty didn't work, on any level, with another '80s revival in "The A-Team." And there's no shooting script, so don't expect to see this at the multiplex anytime soon.
ETA: Nice art at the top: http://www.slashfilm.com/2010/06/15/rus ... s-tv-show/
showed us Stewart's Equalizer stint while we were standing in line waiting for tickets to the fan club show in Vancouver. I think he played a con man or a pickpocket. 