The Weinstein Company has acquired feature rights to the hit 1980stelevision series The Equalizer, about a veteran spy who quits his agency and offers his servicesfor hire to the general public.

The company picked up the rights from the series' original creatorsMichael Sloan and Richard Lindheim.

Mace Neufeld, TonyEldridge and Sloan will produce, and Eric Robinson and Brenden Deneen willoversee production on behalf of The Weinstein Company. The project is currentlyout to director and cast.

"The Equalizer was one of my favourite TV series in the 1980s because thewriting was always smart and very unpredictable," Harvey Weinstein said. "I amreally excited about developing and producing this film."

"Tony Eldridge and I arethrilled to be working with two legendary filmmakers like Harvey Weinstein andMace Neufeld," Sloan said.

"The Equalizer is a character we believe will resonate stronglywith today's audience: a man of style and compassion using skills as anex-covert agent to help ordinary people in trouble."

"I have been looking for a big franchise series to follow upon my Tom Clancy films," Neufeld added. "The Equalizer perfectly fills the bill."

The original television series starred Edward Woodward and RobertLansing and ran from 1985 to 1989.

Eric Roth, executive vice president and co-head of business andlegal affairs for The Weinstein Company, negotiated the deal with MickeyFreiberg from Acme Talent & Literary Agency on behalf of Sloan, Eldridgeand Neufeld along with Michael Schenkman of Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal& LaViolette.