Liam Neeson has a particular set of skills and it appears that it costs $20 million to get their services. That’s the amount the actor will receive for reviving his popular retired CIA agent character Bryan Mills from the Taken franchise for a third installment.
Deadline is reporting on Neeson’s paycheck and that franchise producer Luc Besson and his EuropaCorp shingle is happy to pay it. The first film, in which Neeson heads to Europe to rescue his daughter from sex-slave traders, cost a paltry $25 million but which grossed over $226 million at the box office. Taken 2 managed to avoid the rule of thumb concerning diminishing returns for sequels earning over $376 million against its $45 million budget.
The next step is to extend offers to Maggie Grace and Famke Janssen, the actors who played Mills’ daughter and ex-wife respectively in the first two films. Besson is currently working with franchise scripter Robert Mark Kamen on the screenplay for the new installment. The production is expected to start shooting next February, though no director has been signed to the project.
