Together they’ve tackled psychological thrillers and airborne white-knuckle rides, but now Lionsgate and StudioCanal’s latest action flick The Commuter will make it four for four with Jaume Collet-Serra and Liam Neeson collaborations.
News of Collet-Serra boarding the project arrives by way of Deadline, noting that the filmmaker previously directed the grizzled Irishman in Unknown, Non-Stop and last year’s gritty noir Run All Night. Hardly genre-defining classics by any stretch, but it’s clear Collet-Serra and Neeson have forged a bankable formula together in the past few years, and it’s that recipe for success Lionsgate and StudioCanal will be hoping to call upon once more for The Commuter.
Scripted by Byron Willinger and Phil de Blasi, Neeson’s latest action role has him take on the titular character, an unassuming businessman who unearths a seedy criminal conspiracy theory after clocking out of his nine-to-five. Said to be pitched in the vein of a suspense-thriller, The Commuter is reminiscent of Taken in that the core concept driving the action on screen is relatively simple, though we’re hoping to see a more complex character for Neeson to portray as opposed to a gruff, ex-military force of nature.
Rounding out the Unknown reunion are producers Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman, who are attached to the actioner on behalf of The Picture Company. Lionsgate will distribute the film domestically, and it’s likely filming on The Commuter will get underway in the next two-to-three months once Collet-Serra finalises a script. Currently, the director is putting the final touches to maritime thriller In The Shallows starring Blake Lively.