Filmstalker: Taken sequel begins

Production on Taken 2 had begun, at least at the very early stages, and that's from the company EuropaCorp themselves who reveal the news amongst some other announcements.

There's still a big gap in the deal though, is Liam Neeson going to be taking up the role in the sequel? More to the point is what is the story going to be, another kidnap drama? Another look at the people behind the original plot? Perhaps a look to the man's past?

Personally I think there are two options for the sequel to Taken (Filmstalker review), either they go with a completely new story where someone hires him for his skills to retrieve someone kidnapped into the sex slave trade, after all they would be aware of his skills and what he's done after the mess he left behind in Europe in the first!

There's another option though, and that's where he settles back at home with all being well for his family and starts to think about what he saw with the other girls, and begins to investigate the trade that he came across, and decides to head in to take the organisation apart.

There's the sequel to the story, and the sequel to the idea. Either way I think that these stories would both be strong and allow for another film should the production company and Liam Neeson agree.

The announcement of Taken 2 comes from Variety through JoBlo.

We heard about a Taken sequel back in March and that told us that Robert Mark Kamen was working on the script, but not much more. I would expect that Luc Besson would also get involved, but will the original director Pierre Morel, and more to the point will Liam Neeson?

Which story would you rather see happen?

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ehh... this is just a bad idea. This was such a good action movie and making a sequel and given the character's motivations from the first film I just don't see a sequel being anywhere near as strong.

What I liked about Taken was that he had a singular goal: get his daughter back. He didn't let anything at all distract him from this goal. He didn't try to go after the entire prostitution ring because that isn't what he wanted. Sure, I am sure he felt bad for all the girls sold into prostitution but one man is not going to be able to bring down the entire organization even if he is as bad ass as Liam Neeson was in this movie. I think having him go after the entire organization would put it a bit more ridiculously over the top than the first movie was.

I say they should just leave well enough alone.

Posted by: Rick Bman | June 24, 2009 2:21 PM

Well IMHO there are two ways they could do a story without it seeming contrived.

1) Someone he is bodyguarding is taken (Holly Valance's character?)and he has to rescue them. It'd be better if the kidnappers / kidnappee were on the move, one step ahead of him instead of just waiting to be found.

2) Liam Neeson is "Taken". Someone from his past captures him and he has to escape and evade.

Posted by: Ed Hickey | June 24, 2009 2:43 PM

Good point Rick, I think you're right, it would take away a lot of the feeling if the film lost that singular drive that made it so strong.

How about Ed's first idea? I think that would work, although they couldn't have her kidnapped into the sex slave trade again, but kidnapped for money might work.

Then again, it really is just the same story again.

Posted by: Richard Brunton | June 27, 2009 1:18 PM