Liam Neeson, one of the greatest and longest-working actors in Hollywood, continues to prove that he quite literally is as unstoppable as some of the tough characters he portrays. He recently hit a personal record of acting in a whopping 100 films over the course of his career, having hit that mark with one of his greatest films to date,Marlowe(2022). However, the versatile Irish actor isn’t counting that as his retirement just yet. As per a report fromCollider, yet another new project calledThe Riker’s Ghosthas now been announced, with Neeson again set to lead.
The Riker’s Ghostis set as a pulse-pounding prison break thriller helmed by director Neil Jordan, who also directedMarlowe. Jordan said of reuniting with Neeson for their newest project:
“This is a unique take on the prison escape…A bare knuckle ride from incarceration to freedom, by someone who just wants to finish his term. The reluctant escapee will be played by Liam Neeson, and I can’t wait to explore this character with him.”
Jordan is also co-writing the script with Sean O’Keefe and Brian Rudnick. O’Keefe is known for his work onSpenser Confidential(2020), which starred Mark Wahlberg, while Rudnick co-wroteDungeons and Dragons: Wraith of the Dragon God(2005) and the follow-upDungeons and Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness (2012). Alan Maloney of Parallel Films, who also producedMarlowe, is reuniting as well for the new project. Alongside him are co-producers Rupert Wyatt, Jake Katofsky, Susan Mullen, and Steve Richards of Endurance Media, which will be financingThe Riker’s Ghost.
As indicated earlier by Jordan, the premise of the film centers on Neeson’s character, an incarcerated convict (we’re loosely guessing at Riker’s Island) who is doing his best to carry out the remainder of his prison term without issue. However, that all changes when he’s unexpectedly forced to help a terrorist break out of the prison after his lawyer is kidnapped, presumably by the same terrorist group. Little else is known about the plot, and no other cast members besides Neeson have been announced yet. No release date has been set forThe Riker’s Ghost, but filming is set to begin this September.
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Liam Neeson is Still a Force to Be Reckoned With
Neeson has long become synonymous with some of Hollywood’s most memorable films,many of them action-packed. His acting career began in the late 1970s and never slowed down, making his mark in all manner of drama and action-thrillers. While having at least a couple dozen projects under his belt by then, it wasSchindler’s List(1993) that finally put the mainstream spotlight firmly upon Neeson and his confident candor as an actor.
From there, his career only continued to grow in strength, and in 1999 he made a landmark appearance as Qui-Gon Jin inStar Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. The movie would catapult him as an action star, and his next big blockbuster would be Christopher Nolan’sBatman Begins(2005), where he played Bruce Wayne’s former teacher and villain Ra’s Al Ghul. After that, Neeson had nowhere to go but up, and more films likeThe Chronicles of Narnia(2005),Taken(2008), andThe A-Team(2010) would further cement him as a versatile superstar.
If the news about Neeson breaking his 100-film threshold wasn’t surprising enough,The Riker’s Ghostis just one of seven new projects the actor currently has on his docket. Details on all of them are sure to drop soon.
