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After the phenomenal success of the 2009 thriller Taken, which grossed $224 million worldwide, a sequel was only a matter of time. Liam Neeson announced the sequel was officially happening in March, and mentioned that it might be his character that gets abducted in the sequel. Maggie Grace, who played Neeson's daughter in the original, was announced as returning a month later.
Just a few days ago, 20th Century Fox announced the release date for Taken 2, which will arrive on October 5, 2012.
Now we known what the sequel will be about with the release of the official synopsis.
read the synopsis and see who's playing the villain >> Posted 10.15.11 by Ryan -
Looks like Fox is finally ready to get serious about Die Hard 5 before Bruce Willis starts collecting social security (if you think that's harsh, we'd like to note that Willis himself said in 2009 that the studio better get to work on another Die Hard since he wasn't "getting any younger"). Max Payne director John Moore was officially hired to direct in September, but nothing more has been revealed about the upcoming sequel. More details have finally come to light.
release dates revealed for Taken 2 and Percy Jackson 2 >> Posted 10.12.11 by Ryan -
Several projects have added cast members this week, so we've compiled the news into one convenient post for your reading convenience.
Just last month, Liam Neeson was officially back for Taken 2, the sequel to director Pierre Morel's highly successful 2009 thriller. Producer Luc Besson has lined up Transporter 3 director Olivier Megaton for sequel, with a script from Taken screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen, and with Neeson back on board, it only make sense to bring back Maggie Grace, who played Neeson's daughter and kidnapping victim in the original.
Deadline reports that Grace's deal for the sequel is finalized, though don't expect her to be "taken" again. Neeson hinted in February that he might be the one that gets nabbed in the sequel. Though the tables may be turned on Neeson, we don't see Grace's character suddenly discovering a "particular set of skills" that allow her to track down her father.
more casting news >> Posted 04.08.11 by Ryan -
Last June, Liam Neeson admitted he was going to meet with Taken producer Luc Besson to "hash out" plot details for a possible sequel to the 2009 thriller, which became a $226 million worldwide hit. A month ago, Neeson mentioned that Taken 2 was in script stages and could have Neeson himself be the one that is "taken."
So with Neeson seemingly in favor of the sequel, how is it that Neeson almost didn't reprise his role as retired government operative Bryan Mills?
Neeson needs a break >> Posted 03.17.11 by Ryan -
Putting Liam Neeson in an internationally set thriller is becoming a bi-annual tradition that began with 2009's Taken. It continues with this month's Unknown and into the future with Taken 2, which Neeson recently told MTV is in script stage. Neeson was pleased about the sequel, especially since he didn't initially think that Taken would become a $226 million worldwide hit.
What did he think? >> Posted 02.08.11 by Ryan -
Director Pierre Morel's Taken was one of the surprise hits of 2009, earning 10 times its production budget in worldwide ticket sales. The movie also reinforced that the star of the movie, Liam Neeson, is one badass dude, even in his later years. In the movie, Neeson plays a former CIA spy who dusts off his old skills to rescue his daughter, who was kidnapped while vacationing in Paris. Considering the movie is entirely driven by this simple premise, there doesn't seem to be much room to expand the story, which is why it was so surprising to hear Neeson tell MTV that he is meeting with producer Luc Besson to "hash out" a plot for a possible Taken 2.
Posted 06.15.10 by BrentJS -
Actor Liam Neeson continues along the upward trajectory his career has been on since Taken surprised everyone at the box office. He recently wrapped photography on Clash of the Titans, in which he plays Zeus, and is currently filming the big-screen adaptation of the classic The A-Team TV show, in which he will portray the team's leader, Hannibal.
Neeson's most recent gig, according to Variety has him starring alongside Russell Crowe in writer-director Paul Haggis' latest film, The Next Three Days.
In Days, an adaptation of the 2008 French film Pour Elle, Crowe plays a teacher whose wife (Elizabeth Banks) has been falsely incarcerated for a murder she didn't commit. Desperate to break his wife out of prison before she can commit suicide, Crowe's character elicits the aid of an ex-con (Neeson) who is an expert on prison breaks.
Days also stars Brian Bennehy, Olivia Wilde, Daniel Stern, Aisha Hinds, and The RZA.
Posted 10.05.09 by BrentJS -
Academy Award-nominated actor Liam Neeson's star is (finally) on the rise. Though a Hollywood stalwart since the success of 1999's Darkman, Neeson has only flirted with stardom over the years. Neeson won over critics as Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List and collected a fan following thanks to roles in Star Wars: Episode I and Batman Begins. However, despite these notable roles, Neeson has never quite made it into the upper echelons of leading male actors.
Now, thanks to the surprise success of Taken, in which Neeson played a retired CIA agent who tracks down the slave traders who kidnapped his daughter, Neeson is set to star in a rapid succession of high-profile movies. Neeson will portray Zeus in the remake of the Ray Harryhausen classic Clash of the Titans, and is preparing to star in a big-budget adaptation of TV's The A-Team, in which he will play the team's leader, Col. John "Hannibal" Smith. After that, Neeson may be donning a beard and a top hat to bring Abraham Lincoln to life in a Steven Spielberg biopic.
The latest news has Neeson in negotiations to star in Unknown White Male, a thriller being directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (Orphan). Based on the novel Out of My Head by Didier Van Cauwelaert, Unknown White Male tells the story of a doctor who awakes from a coma to find that he has been replaced by a sinister imposter. Joel Silver is producing with Leonard Goldberg and shooting is scheduled to begin in January in Berlin.
Posted 08.06.09 by reelz -
In Taken, Maggie Grace plays the 17-year-old Kim, who sets out to follow U2's European Tour with a friend and ends up kidnapped and forced into the slave trade -- prompting her former-spy father (Liam Neeson) into action.
Working with Neeson was a nice bit of synchronicity. "In December, right before I read the script, I started watching a lot of movies at Christmas," Grace said. "I always have a little time off to do that. [And I thought,] 'I should make a list of people I wanna work with some day, people I really admire.' And on my actor list, Liam Neeson was, like, top. And right after that I read the script. So, I thought that was a funny coincidence. I think he's wonderful."
For more details, see our interview with Maggie Grace.
Posted 01.30.09 by reelz -
Watch out Yanks: The Brits are back, and they're pissed. Tired of being portrayed on the big screen as either stammering fops (Hugh Grant), oafish hams (Rowan Atkinson), effete villains (Jeremy Irons), or prancing prettyboys (Jude Law, Orlando Bloom, Jonathan Rhys Meyers -- we could spend hours on this category alone), a new crop of raging anti-heros have emerged from the United Kingdom to obliterate such crude stereotypes once and for all. The latest evidence of this is the new release Taken, starring the UK's own Liam Neeson as an ex-spy who exacts violent revenge on the kidnappers who unwisely abducted his daughter.
In honor of this welcome movie trend, we present our salute to the bad boys of British cinema.
Posted 01.28.09 by reelz