Two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington will receive $20 million to play a character based on the CBS crime drama "The Equalizer," reports Deadline.com.

The series ran on CBS from 1985-89 with Edward Woodward as Robert McCall, a former British operative who became a Robin Hood type trouble-shooter in New York City. The show was created by Michael Sloan and Richard Lindheim.

The Denzel Washington film will be tailored to his persona. His "Equalizer" will be a solitary man who lives a monastic lifestyle but helps those who have been victimized. The project is seen as the first in what is designed to be a series of “Equalizer” films starring Washington.

The film is set to start production in April 2013, produced by Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, Alex Siskin, Mace Neufeld, Michael Sloan and Tony Eldridge.