We don’t really need another Taken film, but since Liam Neeson does need $20 million, we’re getting one. With the series’ star now on board, the rest of the roles are beginning to be filled and today, Deadline is reporting that Forest Whitaker is in talks to join Taken 3. There’s no word on who he might play but we do know that shooting is set to begin in March, with director Olivier Megaton returning to the helm.
We don’t have any plot details just yet but writer Robert Mark Kamen has promised that the film will be going in “another direction.” Given how crummy Taken 2 was, that’s certainly encouraging to hear. What’s not encouraging, however, is to see how Fox keeps milking this franchise. The first film was awesome, but its sequel was just downright terrible. Though they promise to take things in a different direction, I really can’t see Taken 3 being more than just another opportunity to cash-in on Liam Neeson’s stellar action chops.
That being said, Whitaker is a reliable and always entertaining actor and his presence alone should make Taken 3 a bit more interesting. Hopefully they’re able to turn things around because the original Taken really was quite a good movie and it’s a shame that the ball was dropped with its sequel. Perhaps taking things in another direction will help, but as of now, I won’t get my hopes up.
Tell us, are you ready for Taken 3? Or is this one series that should have quit while it was ahead?