See what else is happening in film & TV industries around the world.
Liam Neeson signs on for ‘Taken 3’ After the success of the 2008 action film, ‘Taken’, which starred Irish actor Liam Neeson as a retired CIA agent searching for his kidnapped daughter, Neeson has managed to firmly establish himself as one of Hollywood’s most bankable action stars. Filmed on a modest budget of $25 million, ‘Taken’ was a phenomenal success, taking in over $226 million at the box-office. Even though the sequel, ‘Taken 2’, was an even bigger success ($375 million worldwide), Neeson was reportedly dubious about returning for a second sequel. Now it seems that Neeson has had a change of heart, as he has recently signed on for ‘Taken 3. According to reports, Neeson has been offered a salary in the vicinity of $20 million to reprise his role as Bryan Mills, and French director Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) and Robert Mark Kamen are currently at work on a script. Actresses Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen are also set to return for the second sequel, with production due to begin in February next year. Neeson is one of Hollywood’s busiest leading men at the moment, as he also has several other projects lined up, including Seth McFarlane’s western comedy ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’, action thriller ‘Non-Stop’, and the thriller ‘A Walking Among the Tombstones’.
Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. to part ways It has recently been announced that one of the most successful studio partnerships in recent memory will be coming to an end. There had been plenty of speculation in recent months that Legendary Pictures had been looking to part ways with Warner Bros. at the end of its current contract, but in spite of reports that both parties were currently negotiating a new deal, both studios have decided to end their current partnership.
Legendary is now looking to partner with a new studio, and according to reports at Collider, the top contenders at this point are Universal, Sony, and Fox, with Lionsgate also in the running. Since first partnering on Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ in 2005, Legendary and Warner Bros. have enjoyed huge financial success at the box-office. The lucrative partnership is also responsible for the rest of the ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy, the ‘Hangover’ trilogy, ‘Inception’, and most recently ‘42’ and ‘Man of Steel’. One of the many possible reasons for the end of this highly successful partnership is Legendary CEO Thomas Tull’s desire to obtain more creative control of the studio’s output. In addition to this, Variety reports that Warner Bros. has been looking to develop more franchises alone, rather than partnering with another studio. Tull is currently meeting with the aforementioned studios in the coming days, and a new deal is likely to be made in the coming weeks. Legendary’s next blockbuster release is Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pacific Rim’, which opens here in Ireland on July 12th.
Watch the teaser trailer for ‘The Counselor’, starring Michael Fassbender The first trailer for Ridley Scott‘s upcoming drama/thriller, ‘The Counselor’ has been released online. The script comes from celebrated author Cormac McCarthy (author of ‘The Road’, ‘All the Pretty Horses’ and ‘No Country for Old Men’) and centers on an attorney (played by Irish actor Michael Fassbender) who teams up with Reiner (Javier Bardem) to sell $20 million worth of cocaine The all-star cast includes Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Cameron Diaz, Dean Norris, Rosie Perez, John Leguizamo, Natalie Dormer, and Goran Visnjic. The film is set to be released on October 25th this year, with an Irish release date to be announced in the near future.
