It looks like Taken is coming to the small screen. Deadline is reporting that the popular action franchise will be making the move to TV courtesy of NBC which has just signed a straight-to-series order for the show.
The franchise was birthed in 2008, when Liam Neeson burst onto the big screen as Bryan Mills, a retired CIA agent on a one-man mission across Europe to find his kidnapped daughter. The film was seen as a breath of fresh air in a then bland action landscape, earning rave reviews and grossing $226 million worldwide.
It's credited with giving Neeson's career a second wind as a grizzled, 60-year-old action star. The now famous 'set of skills' monologue he delivers in the movie is one of action cinema's most memorable moments.
"What I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career; Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you." Says Neeson's character to his daughter's kidnappers at a pivotal point in the film.
In the years since, two sequels have been made, 2012's Taken 2 and 2014's Taken 3.
This new TV series will function as a prequel of sorts showing viewers how exactly that 'particular set of skills' was acquired. It will feature a younger version of Bryan Mills. Luc Besson, the producer of the film trilogy, will also oversee this project together with NBC Universal.
The network is now looking for a writer and showrunner to see the concept to life.
Seeing as this is a prequel, it's doubtful Neeson will have any involvement in this project.
The actor will next be seen in director Martin Scorese's Silence, a film based on Shusaku Endo's novel of the same name.
