Tradecraft: Nicolas Winding Refn to Direct The Equalizer

Well this is cool. According to Deadline, one of the hottest young directors out there, Nicolas Winding Refn, has signed on to direct the feature film version of the 80s action series The Equalizer. Denzel Washington signed on to star a year ago, although it's still unclear whether he'll be playing McCall, the role originated on TV by Edward Woodward, or a different equalizing former intelligence operative. The trade blog reports that the new movie, scripted by Richard Wenk (The Expendables 2), is only "loosely" based on the show, revealing only that Washington will play "a solitary, monastic figure who hates injustice and devotes himself to helping people who are being victimized." [UPDATE: The Hollywood Reporter reports that Washington will be McCall, but they're not always reliable on such subjects.] Refn's involvement has me very excited about this. Drive was excellent, and I look forward to seeing what he does with a mainstream action franchise. (And if the 80s synth-infused soundtrack to Drive is any indication, I'd say it's likely Refn will at least retain Stewart Copeland's iconic theme music from the TV version!) The Danish director has also directed Casino Royale baddie Mads Mikkelsen in the Pusher trilogy and Valhalla Rising. Could he become the Equalizer villain as well? Washington, meanwhile, is coming off a career-best performance in Flight, and should be in fine badass form under Refn's direction. He's got some huge shoes to fill, though. It's a shame that Woodward is no longer around to make a cameo.