The hit film franchise Taken starring Liam Neeson is expanding into television, with a prequel series landing a straight-to-series order at NBC today. Search is underway for a writer and showrunner to head the adaptation. The series will be a co-production between EuropaCorp and Universal Television.
The series will feature young CIA operative Bryan Mills as he acquires his "very particular set of skills" and becomes the character we all know. However, the series is tentatively set in the present day and not the past. The logline pays homage to the first film's famous quote: "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."
The film's writer Luc Besson will serve as executive producer on the project, alongside Matthew Gross, Edouard de Vesinne and Thomas Anargyros.
Taken first premiered in 2008 and was a surprise box office hit, resulting in two sequel films in 2012 and 2014. The franchise turned Neeson into a favorite action star. There are currently no plans for Neeson to appear in or produce the prequel series.
