Oscar nominee Liam Neeson has found an unlikely second career wind in action fare like Taken and March’s Run All Night, and though the actor claims he only has a couple of years of action movies left in him, he’s now in final negotiations for another one: terrorism-themed thriller A Willing Patriot.
Neeson will play a veteran CIA agent who is plunged in a deadly battle of wits with a sinister terrorist who is on the cusp of executing a devastating attack against the United States. Desperate to stop his opponent from carrying out the plot, the agent is willing to sacrifice anything, even his own life, for this final chance at absolution for his past sins.
Martin Zandvliet, behind the upcoming film Land of Mine, is sitting in the director’s chair on this one, working from a script by Jason Keller (Machine Gun Preacher, Escape Plan). News of Neeson’s involvement breaks as international rights holder Sierra/Affinity plans to shop the project around foreign markets at Cannes. CAA holds domestic rights, while Marc Butan’s MadRiver Pictures is financing and producing the film.
Said Butan:
Liam Neeson is one of the defining actors of our generation and audiences will love him in this role. After seeing Martin’s new film Land of Mine, we knew he was an incredible storyteller and the perfect match to collaborate with Liam.
There’s no escaping how broad Neeson’s appeal is. He’s been remarkably successful at flitting between action-thrillers like hard-boiled noir A Walk Among the Tombstones and prestige fare like Martin Scorsese’s upcoming Silence, bringing his distinct brand of wounded, wily machismo to every role he plays. A Willing Patriot sounds entirely within his wheelhouse, almost too much so, but Zandvliet is an exciting-enough choice to direct that we’ll keep an eye on the project nonetheless.
