At 71 years old, Liam Neeson remains an unstoppable force in the realm of big-screen action heroes. His latest thriller venture has now secured a path to audiences as Amazon’s Prime Video has acquired the international distribution rights to “Mongoose” in a deal reportedly valued at $20 million.
Hot off delivering his signature gravitas to Robert Lorenz’s critically-acclaimed “In the Land of Saints and Sinners”, Neeson is set to reunite with the production team from his successful “Ice Road” movies – Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and stunt coordinator Mark Vanselow. This reunited creative partnership promises another electrifying cinematic ride.
“Mongoose” will see the Irish acting titan embodying Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a decorated war veteran wrongfully accused of a crime. With nothing to lose, Flanagan leads police on a blistering, nationally televised cross-country car chase, aided by his former Army Special Forces battalion and the rapt attention of a public rooting for his daring getaway.
“We are so very fortunate to be able to make another picture with the extraordinary Liam Neeson and the enormously talented Mark Vanselow,” Corley and Rosenblatt said in a statement. “We look forward to another creative journey with our partners and friends.”
Vanselow, a two-time Stunt Ensemble SAG Award nominee, has doubled for Neeson across over 20 films, including all three “Taken” thrillers and both “Ice Road” adventures. His extensive experience coordinating and executing Neeson’s action sequences bodes well for “Mongoose” delivering suitably over-the-top vehicular mayhem.
For Neeson, “Mongoose” represents a continuation of his unlikely late-career transformation into an indomitable action icon. While initially reluctant to embrace the persona, the formerly acclaimed dramatic actor has fully leaned into playing gruff, uncompromising tough guys – a screen persona that first catapulted him to stardom in 2008’s “Taken.”
Offscreen, Neeson is preparing to flex his comedic chops by taking on the lead role in the upcoming reboot of the classic “Naked Gun” crime comedy franchise. As he explained, the chance to put a deadpan spin on Leslie Nielsen’s beloved bumbling detective Frank Drebin was simply too tantalizing to resist.
But before then, audiences will be able to catch Neeson back in his most comfortable contemporary milieu – trading blows, evading SWAT teams, and laying down plenty of burned rubber across America’s highways. With Prime Video now revving its engines to distribute globally, “Mongoose” has the potential to be Neeson’s most wildly propulsive thrill-ride yet.
