The original movie turned Liam Neeson into a surprise action star but will Taken 4 ever happen? The franchise became a TV show in 2017.
The Taken franchise turned Liam Neeson into a surprise action hero, but could he return for a Taken 4 movie? Prior to accepting the lead role in Taken, Liam Neeson was coming off a series of projects where he played a mentor or father figure role, including Kingdom Of Heaven and Batman Begins. Taken cast Neeson as retired CIA agent Bryan Mills, who travels to Paris to rescue his daughter from a human trafficking ring. The movie’s lean premise and fast-paced action, combined with Neeson’s charisma, turned Taken into a surprise word-of-mouth hit.
The movie also saw Neeson suddenly in demand for action films, which has dominated his career since that time. The actor returned again for Taken 2, which reversed the premise somewhat by having his character taken and his daughter having to rescue him and her mother, although he’s back in action for the third act. Neeson vowed Taken 2 would be the end of the saga, but soon returned for Taken 3. This installment saw Bryan framed for his ex-wife’s murder, causing him to take violent action to clear his name. Now, it looks like Neeson will be back again for Taken 4, proving he keeps getting pulled back in.
Taken 4 Is In Development With Liam Neeson
Like the original Death Wish series with Charles Bronson, there are only so many times a family member can be kidnapped or murdered before audiences start to tune out. It appears Neeson is keenly aware of this, so he originally ruled out a return as Bryan Mills. However, the series remained a profitable brand, and Neeson kept adding more action-centric roles to his resume. This made some wonder if he could end up returning for a Taken 4 movie, and that is where the food news lies. There could easily have been a Taken 4 movie without Neeson.
The franchise could have offered a prequel exploring his early days with the CIA, with a younger actor recast in the role. EuropaCorp did something similar with their other major action franchise The Transporter when Jason Statham bowed out, with Ed Skrein (Deadpool) taking over for a soft reboot called The Transporter Refueled. However, it is Neeson that really led the movie to the top, and he will return for the next chapter as he has to save someone else who was taken (via Giant Freakin Robot). There is no word on whether writer Luc Besson or director Olivier Megaton will return for the fourth movie.
Taken The TV Series Was Cancelled After Two Seasons
Taken was turned into a TV series in 2017. Clive Standen was cast as Bryan Mills, with the show acting as an origin story for the character seen in the movies – despite both being set in the modern day. The show found Mills seeking revenge for his sister’s death and explored his CIA days. Taken debuted with good ratings which gradually declined as the first season progressed. A new showrunner came on for season 2, which acted as a semi-reboot and dropped most of the cast, only keeping Standen and co-star Jennifer Beals (Swamp Thing). Despite this fresh start, ratings keep declining, and Taken was canceled after two seasons.
