{"id":136792,"date":"2025-01-06T15:17:22","date_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:17:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/06\/what-happened-to-taken\/"},"modified":"2025-01-06T15:17:22","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T15:17:22","slug":"what-happened-to-taken","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/06\/what-happened-to-taken\/","title":{"rendered":"What Happened to Taken?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p><div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"VrEYKtnntSM\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"WTF Happened to Taken?! The Surprising Rise of an Unlikely Action Star\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VrEYKtnntSM?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Schwarzenegger. Stallone. Van Damme. Gibson. Snipes. Ford. When you make a listing of the preferred motion heroes of all time, there\u2019s one other identify that must be added to that checklist \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/interview-the-great-liam-neeson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Liam Neeson<\/a>. Over the final sixteen years, he\u2019s headlined a neverending collection of motion thrillers which have propelled him to a a lot larger echelon of fame than he\u2019d ever been on earlier than, with him solely ever turning into an motion star as soon as he was fifty-six. Ultimately, it was all as a result of a low-budget, European-financed motion flick, which got here very near going direct-to-video and reached theatres in Europe a full yr earlier than it opened in North America. That film is <em>Taken<\/em>, and we\u2019re going to let you know the way it revitalized the profession of a person who \u2013 on the time \u2013 was usually thought-about a top-tier character actor with restricted field workplace attraction. That\u2019s proper \u2013 it\u2019s time to seek out out What the fuck occurred to <em>Taken<\/em>!<\/p>\n<p>The story started within the late nineties when director Luc Besson was using excessive off the success of The Fifth Element. Like his earlier movie, The Professional, the movie was a much bigger hit internationally than on the home field workplace. In reality, 75% of\u00a0The Fifth Element\u2019s income got here from outdoors\u00a0North America. Clearly, there was a requirement for American-style, slick motion movies made with the European market in thoughts. Thus, Luc Besson began funding modestly budgeted motion films via his firm, EuropaCorp. Besson, who was intensely prolific as a author, would churn out the scripts himself (usually with a co-writer) and hand off the directing duties, often to a French director. The formulation proved to be successful with <em>Taxi<\/em>, a French automotive chase thriller, giving rise to a collection of motion films.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Soon, Besson was in a position to strike up a cope with twentieth Century Fox for a collection of motion movies in English, with lower-tier stars, on modest budgets. Along together with his <em>Fifth Element<\/em> collaborator, Robert Mark Kamen, he made a number of profitable films, together with <em>Kiss of the Dragon<\/em>, starring Jet Li, and <em>The Transporter,<\/em> which made Jason Statham an motion star. While neither of these films was a smash in North America, they did effectively internationally and had been main hits on the DVD market.<\/p>\n<p>What made their Jet Li and Jason Statham films so worthwhile was that neither man commanded a large wage on the time, as Li was nonetheless breaking into the North American market. At the identical time, Statham was just about unknown outdoors of his appearances in Guy Ritchie films. Eager to launch one more motion star, Besson had the thought to make a film a few retired particular forces agent attempting to rescue his daughter from human traffickers. Rather than rent somebody apparent, like Harrison Ford or Mel Gibson, he conceived of the movie as a automobile for Jeff Bridges, who\u2019d by no means actually finished a serious motion movie on the time. When Bridges handed, the thought was floated to go together with Liam Neeson.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-neeson-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-818100\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-neeson-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-neeson-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-neeson-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-neeson.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>At the time, Neeson\u2019s profession was going effectively, with him having lately performed Ra\u2019s al Ghul in Christopher Nolan\u2019s <em>Batman Begins<\/em>. But, on his personal, he was not identified to be a field workplace draw. While he had dipped his toe into motion with <em>Darkman<\/em> in 1990, all through the nineties, he established himself as a severe actor, because of films like <em>Schindler\u2019s List<\/em>, <em>Michael Collins,<\/em> and <em>Les Miserables<\/em>. He additionally performed Qui-Gon Jinn in <em>Star Wars: The Phantom Menace<\/em>. He had headlined just a few big-budget films, corresponding to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/rob-roy-liam-neeson-the-best-movie-you-never-saw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Rob Roy<\/a><\/em> and <em>The Haunting<\/em>, however they weren\u2019t thought-about hits. Nevertheless, he had a terrific profession as a severe actor.<\/p>\n<p>When he took on <em>Taken<\/em>, Neeson figured it was only a job. He absolutely anticipated the film to flop, as nobody took him severely as an motion star on the time. Indeed, the finances was comparatively low, costing solely $25 million. The director, Pierre Morel, had beforehand helmed an motion movie for Luc Besson known as <em>District 13<\/em>, which was acclaimed by motion followers. One of the explanations Neeson had taken the function was to attempt to do a extra bodily demanding half than standard, with him claiming he was completely satisfied to receives a commission to spend 4 months in France studying karate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the explanations the film did so effectively was that Neeson was by no means thought-about an motion hero, making his casting very a lot towards kind. Yet, together with his imposing 6 foot 4 peak and his earlier expertise in boxing, it didn\u2019t take a lot to carry out one thing in him audiences had by no means anticipated from him earlier than. With Neeson taking his coaching severely, the movie additionally benefitted from a premise that struck a chord with folks. Human trafficking was \u2013 and is \u2013 an enormous concern, notably to oldsters sending their youngsters off for the primary time on their very own for the standard school European tour. The film performed as want success to many, with Liam Neeson\u2019s Bryan Mills, an insanely competent ex-special forces agent who makes use of his \u201cspecial skills\u201d to avoid wasting his daughter, performed within the movie by Maggie Grace.<\/p>\n<p>One of the neatest issues about <em>Taken<\/em> is how well-constructed it&#8217;s, with it taking a strong chunk of operating time earlier than you ever understand that Liam Neeson\u2019s character is greater than only a considerably overprotective father. I nonetheless keep in mind watching the film in theaters on opening weekend and listening to the viewers roar with approval throughout Neeson\u2019s first huge motion sequence.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-2008-1024x538.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-818101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-2008-1024x538.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-2008-300x158.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-2008-768x403.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.joblo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/taken-2008.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><\/figure>\n<p>But, humorous sufficient, the film virtually by no means got here to theaters in North America. Due to the way it was made, <em>Taken<\/em> opened in Europe in February of 2008, and it took a very long time for it ever to get a North American launch date. It\u2019s a miracle the film wasn\u2019t despatched to DVD, as torrents of the movie had been extensively shared on file-sharing providers on the time. In reality, I labored at an organization that did high quality management for Blu-rays and DVDs, and I can testify {that a} DVD launch of the movie was locked and loaded lengthy earlier than it reached American theaters.<\/p>\n<p>Yet, the trailers for this film hit a chord, with them brilliantly centered across the now well-known scene the place Neeson warns the boys who&#8217;ve \u201ctaken\u201d his daughter that he possesses \u201ccertain skills\u201d that make him a nightmare for folks like them. Everyone who noticed that trailer wished to seek out out what these particular expertise had been, however the movie wildly exceeded twentieth Century Fox\u2019s expectations once they opened it on the notoriously sleepy Super Bowl weekend again in 2009. The movie opened with $24.7 million, which nearly matched its finances, and have become a monster word-of-mouth hit, grossing $145 million within the US, making it EuropaCorp\u2019s greatest field workplace hit to this point. It instantly established Neeson as an motion hero, with critics praising his efficiency, even when they criticized the motion sequences. His motion stardom was solidified when he appeared in three straight motion flicks that made cash \u2013 <em>Unknown<\/em>, <em>Taken 2<\/em>, and <em>Non-Stop<\/em>. He grew to become the king of thrifty, no-frills motion thrillers that could possibly be made for small budgets and show worthwhile for studios. In reality, greater than a decade and a half later, Neeson remains to be making them, though he\u2019s about to attempt to reinvent himself as soon as once more by taking part in the lead in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=S7ZAckaKOWA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Paramount\u2019s long-planned reboot of <em>The Naked Gun<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So that\u2019s what occurred to <em>Taken<\/em> \u2013 mainly, a strong and easy premise, coupled with outside-the-box casting, struck gold for all concerned. It additionally established a brand new development the place audiences appeared to love older motion heroes, with most of the greatest names within the style these days, together with Keanu Reeves, Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves, all being north of sixty. Several middle-aged actors tried to \u201cdo a Neeson\u201d with Kevin Costner making <em>Three Days to Kill<\/em> and <em>Criminal<\/em>, and Sean Penn even teaming with Pierre Morel for <em>The Gunman<\/em>. Still, outdoors of Bob Odenkirk, nobody has come near hanging the general public\u2019s fancy like Mr. Neeson.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Schwarzenegger. Stallone. Van Damme. Gibson. Snipes. Ford. When you make a listing of the preferred motion heroes of all time, there\u2019s one other identify that must be added to that checklist \u2013 Liam Neeson. Over the final sixteen years, he\u2019s headlined a neverending collection of motion thrillers which have propelled him to a a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":136795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[3083],"class_list":{"0":"post-136792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hollywood","8":"tag-happened"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/136792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/136795"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=136792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/showbizztoday.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=136792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}