Share

‘Taken’: Movie heads to NBC as TV series

The central character of thriller franchise ‘Taken, ‘ Bryan Mills, is set to have his own prequel series on NBC.

Advertisement

According to Deadline, the show will follow Bryan before he got married and had his daughter (leading us to wonder who will get…Taken).

The show will explore just how Liam Neeson’s character Bryan Mills acquired that “very particular set of skills” that make him such a badass in the movies.

The number of episodes to be included in the “Taken” prequel remains unconfirmed.

At this point, Neeson isn’t expected to have any role in the project. The small screen adaptation doesn’t have a writer or showrunner yet, but the search is reportedly already underway. The film was a surprise smash at the box office, grossing over $226 million (£146 million) at cinemas worldwide, and reinventing Neeson as an action star.

As Taken fans know best, the film’s first installment hit theaters in 2008, starring Neeson, Maggie Grace (The Choice, Susanna) and Famke Janssen (Hemlock Grove, X-Men). But that could change, as more and more film stars are making their way to the small screen for brief guest stints in TV land. This development season alone, Fox is taking on a Behind Enemy Lines show, while CBS is adapting Training Day. Meanwhile, the Notebook is in the works at CW. Networks are resorting to straight-to-order series in a bid to gain traction over other cable and streaming services, the report explains.

Besson is known for the films “La Femme Nikita” and “The Transporter“, which have both been adapted as TV series, the report adds. Despite mixed reviews, the third “Taken” movie became a commercial success at the box office, grossing over $325 million.

Advertisement

As for Besson, he’s familiar with the process of adapting a movie to TV. No further details have been announced about casting, location and the start of production.

Taken Prequel Coming to Television Focusing on Young Bryan Mills