Though he pulled the ejector seat lever on directing Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, Rise wrangler Rupert Wyatt has not been short of other possible projects. It would seem he has another in his sights, as he’s circling the job of making The Equalizer.

This is one that has been bubbling for some time, and has Denzel Washington locking in a deal to star. Working from Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim’s original, Edward Woodward-starring TV show about a former black ops officer who becomes a vigilante for the helpless, the script for the film will spin off in a slightly different direction.

The story, with the most recent draft by Richard Wenk, uses the basic premise, but turns the central character into more of a Denzel type, a solitary, monastic figure who seethes at the thought of injustice and dedicates himself to helping the helpless.

Sony is itching to get the movie (which briefly had Nicolas Winding Refn in the hot seat) into production and, if the deals lock into place, it could be shooting this June in Boston. But that’s still an if – Wyatt has other jobs dangling, including the possibility of directing a pilot for AMC and his recently announced plan to return to Nicholas Faulk adaptation Birdsong with Nicholas Hoult in the lead. Could this mean the Faulks film has to wait yet again? Well, after 16+ years, it could probably manage another year or two...