14 DAY TRIAL // Liam Neeson became an unlikely but very popular action movie star with the first “Taken” film (2008), which spanned 2 successful sequels and paved the way for a new type of action movie hero: the older, seasoned but still very tough kind.
Bryan Mills, the character Neeson plays in “Taken,” is a one-of-a-kind guy, a man with a “very particular set of skills” that he will not hesitate to make full use of if you happen to kidnap his daughter, his wife, or both.
Neeson might never reprise the character again, but that doesn’t mean that fans should have to say goodbye to him for good. Luc Besson is taking the “Taken” franchise to television, striking a deal with NBC for a prequel series inspired by it, Deadline confirms.
Since this is a prequel, Neeson isn’t a part of the deal, but Besson is. The new project would focus on a younger Bryan Mills, and try to explain how he became the dangerous man we met for the first time in 2008, with the first film.
“Search is underway for a writer / showrunner to spearhead the adaptation. The series will be a co-production between Besson’s studio EuropaCorp. and Universal TV,” Deadline reports.
The project is still in the very early stages of development, so we can’t talk about an estimated air date yet. However, given the popularity of the “Taken” franchise, chances are more details on the prequel series will be released soon, so keep an eye on this space for when that happens.