The central character of thriller franchise ‘Taken,’ Bryan Mills, is set to have his own prequel series on NBC.
The network recently approved a series of the project created by French director Luc Besson, who helmed the 2008 ‘Taken’ film as well as its two sequels, which starred Liam Neeson as the greatly skilled ex-CIA agent.
Besson previously worked for films such as ‘La Femme Nikita’ and ‘The Transporter,’ both of which have been adapted as TV programs.
The upcoming ‘Taken’ prequel will follow the story of a younger version of Bryan Mill, drawing more attention to how he obtained his now widely famous set of skills to transform into the well-loved character from the movies.
As reported by Deadline, Bryan will not be married or be having children in the upcoming series. NBC’s new project will have a contemporary setting- the same period as the original film series and not in the past.
Having its official premiere in 2008, the original ‘Taken’ movie starred Neeson as a former CIA agent who carried out his own mission to save his kidnapped daughter from human traffickers while traveling in France.
The film performed well at the box office, raking in a total gross of $226 million from cinemas worldwide, and allowing Neeson to regain his status as a reputable action star.
The second ‘Taken’ movie pulled in more than its predecessor, grossing more than $376 million globally. It follows a story of revenge in which Murad, the person in charge of the human traffickers and father of Marko, whom Bryan had executed by electrocution, plans to take the ex-CIA agent into custody and avenge his son's death.
Finally, ‘Taken 3’ sees Bryan’s struggles as he was framed for the murder of his ex-wife, Lenore. Subsequently, he attempts to clear his name by finding the real killers, while also avoiding to be captured by the U.S. authorities that he previously worked for. Despite mixed reviews, the third ‘Taken’ movie became a commercial success at the box office, grossing over $325 million.
The TV adaptation of a number of films has already been scheduled from 2015 to 2016, which includes ‘Uncle Buck’ (ABC), ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ (FOX), ‘Minority Report’ (FOX), "Training Day’ (CBS), ‘Rush Hour’ (CBS), ‘Limitless’ (CBS), ‘The Notebook’ (The CW) and ‘Friday the 13th’ (The CW).
The number of episodes to be included in the ‘Taken’ prequel remains unconfirmed. Its airing schedule is also presently being kept under wraps.