Tradecraft: Taken 2 Set in Istanbul

Deadline reveals that the city Liam Neeson will tear apart in the eagerly awaited Taken sequel will be a classic spy location: Istanbul.  I love that!  Their proximity to Europe made Istanbul and Beirut the most common "exotic" cities frequented by Eurospy heroes in the Sixties, and through my love of those movies (as well, of course, as Ian Fleming's novel From Russia With Love and the subsequent film adaptation), it's become one of my very favorite spy locations.  (Though I've never been there, alas.)  Therefore it's more than appropriate that the sequel to the most successful film of the neo-Eurospy movement (original review here) should take place there.  I look forward to seeing Liam Neeson threaten to tear down the Hagia Sophia if he has to. 

There was apparently a brief possibility that Neeson wouldn't return, which was the thrust of the Deadline article, but fortunately the scheduling issues have been worked out and the actor is now set to reprise his role as badass ex-spy Bryan Mills.  According to the trade blog, producer Luc Besson was briefly considering replacing him with Ralf Fiennes, Mickey Rourke, Ray Winstone, Sean Bean or Jason Isaacs.  While I'd love to see Fiennes or Bean topline one of these neo-Eurospy actioners, there would have been no point in proceeding with this franchise without Neeson, so I'm glad the issues were worked out.  Filming is now set to begin at the tail end of this year or the beginning of next, so we won't be seeing Taken 2 in theaters before Fall 2012 at the earliest.  (And I'd bet February 2013 is more likely. Oh well, at least we've got ABC's Missing to tide us over! The pilot script is very Taken-ish and very good.) Transporter 3 helmer Olivier Megaton is reportedly in talks to direct this one.  Original writers Besson and Robert Mark Kamen have penned the script, and Fox is expected to once again distribute in the US.  Still no word on who will be taken this time around, but I really hope it's not Mills' daughter again...