Jun 25, 2013

Tradecraft: Neeson Signs On for Taken 3

Deadline reports that Liam Neeson "is closing a deal in the vicinity of $20 million" to reprise his role as Bryan Mills, the former CIA agent hero of Taken and Taken 2 in a third film. That will be his biggest payday ever for the unlikely action star at the age of 61. Neeson was originally reluctant to return for a second outing of neo-Eurospy mayhem, but when the sequel grossed a staggering $376 million, a third entry seemed inevitable. (Indeed, Part 2 left the door decidedly open for another follow-up.) I loved the first film. The second wasn't nearly as good, but I still found it quite entertaining. It would be great if Luc Besson's EuropaCorp could lure the first film's director, Pierre Morel, back for the third entry, but his commitment to giving Sean Penn's career its own Taken-style neo-Eurospy jolt in The Gunman probably precludes that possibility. Deadline suggests that Olivier Megaton, who helmed the sequel (as well as the third Transporter movie), is a likely candidate for the third one, too, but no deal is yet in place. Besson and Robert Mark Kamen are once again penning the script, as they did for the first two entries in the series.

2 comments:

teeritz said...

I watched "Taken 2" last week and was thoroughly disappointed with it. Thankfully, I watched "The International" again on dvd two nights ago and that seems to have 'taken' the edge off Liam's second effort. Hopefully, "Taken 3" will make up for it. And yes, I'm betting it's gonna involve (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!) Rade Serbedzija's sons out for revenge. Still, Mr. Neeson with a gun in his hand is worth the price of admission. But I'll still wait for the dvd release.

Elliot James said...

I'll make a prediction about the plot of Taken 3. Rade Serbedzija's other son (mentioned in 2) is Maggie Grace's boyfriend from 2.