The show should already be on DVD. But if remakes are "required" by the studios to market old shows on DVD, I say bring on the remakes. I'll simply ignore the remakes while enjoying the originals.
I've been in the mood for this show and I've watched a few over the last couple of nights. This is a great show, one of the top 5 shows of the 80s. Hopefully this is on Universal's radar.
Just watched a rerun of the first episode of the Equalizer on Universal HD, and surprisingly it was in 16x9! Just wondering if anybody knows if this is the way it was originally shot or are we seeing a "rematted" version?
Equalizer is now airing on the new NBC/Universal "Sleuth" channel. Along with other ready dvd released shows "Miami Vice", "A-Team" and "Knight Rider". So hopefully, whis means it has to be on Universals radar.
According to Variety, the Weinstein Company has signed crime novelist Michael Connelly ("Blood Work") and Terrill Lee Lankford to pen the screenplay for The Equalizer, their feature remake of the popular '80s TV series.
Connelly is best known for his series of novels starring police detective Harry Bosch, while Lankford, a regular collaborator of Connelly, is also an author, who has worked on severla indie films. The remake will be directed by Lucky Number Slevin helmer Paul McGuigan, but no cast has been attached as of yet.
The original show starred British actor Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, and the dark, character-driven crime show was a CBS hit in the late '80s. Each episode would see Woodward's former intelligence officer helping his client settle a score.
Connelly acknowledged in a statement that "times have certainly changed since the days of the television show" but said he and his co-scribe "plan to build a character that is of these times but to also keep the heart and soul of the show intact."
Come on Universal it is time to Release the TV-Series!!!!!
I've gone ahead and started to transfer over my CBS masters to DVD. Universal is so clueless with this stuff that I have no faith in them to do it, let alone to follow through with all 4 seasons.
Take this with a grain of salt as i can't vouch for it's authenticity. But according to a big equalizer fan he has the following to say:
"I've heard that they have pushed the production of the Equalizer Movie into 2009 from 2007 to give them enough time to complete remastering the last two seasons in order to have them ready for a retail release of the series beginning in 2008. The first two seasons were started back in 2005 but were out-sourced so they were not done by Universal, however, Universal will be handling the remastering of the last two seasons but they also need to complete negotiations on royalities with two of the music composers they are in legal contact with to cement a deal.
"The official DVD set will be "compressed" and they are saying it is to be 4 episodes a DVD and will be released a season at a time with the first season coming in two options: one in a normal fold out and the other with a complete case to hold all 4 seasons--and they will release a season every three months with the 4th season co-insiding with the release of the movie. Due to the series only being popular in the US and Europe there wil be no Blu-Ray release only HD-DVD which will also contain four episodes per HD-DVD but all will be uncompressed.
"I've just no idea as to when Universal will complete remastering the 3rd and 4th seasons. Apparently they are "unhappy" for some reason and switched the process in house--I don't know why."
That sounds encouraging. Other than the theme I don't really think there should be too much in the way of music issues. I'm going to suspend my transferring of my CBS VHS masters, pending further word.