It’s been two and a half years since Liam Neeson claimed – for the second time, we should add – that he was definitely planning to wind down his days of action heroism before he became a little too long in the tooth to convince, although the reception to some of his recent efforts would indicate that days has already come.
Memory and Blacklight both bombed hard at the box office and ended up faring so poorly among critics that they rank as two of his worst-reviewed starring efforts ever regardless of what genre they take place in, but his name apparently still has enough value to ensure his high-octane outings can be sold for a pretty penny.
It wasn’t that long ago that Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky was announced to be in active development, and Amazon have already stepped in to secure the distribution rights for Prime Video in a deal worth a cool $17 million. Those aren’t even the worldwide rights, either, so it seems as though Neeson doing what he’s been doing on repeat for the last 15 years remains a global enterprise.
For those keeping count, since Neeson once more suggested he was calling it quits in the action area, Ice Road 2 has been added to a list that already numbered The Marksman, The Ice Road, Blacklight, Memory, and Marlowe, with Retribution, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Thug, and Cold Storage, so it’s clear the veteran is talking out of his ass. Then again, he does turn 71 years old this summer, so perhaps the finish line really is in sight.