The perpetually busy (and exceedingly popular) Liam Neeson has attached himself to yet another film. The star will take on the role of Matt Scudder in the screen adaptation of Lawrence Block’s A Walk Among The Tombstones. The Scott Frank-directed film is yet another thriller for Neeson, who in recent years has had a career resurgence as a big-screen tough guy.
A Walk Among The Tombstones is the first film in a three-year deal between Exclusive Media and Cross Creek Pictures, who intend to finance at least two films every year, with budgets up to $65 million. The hope is that Tombstones will shoot in February, presumably once Neeson has completed work on Non-Stop.
According to Deadline:
“Neeson plays Scudder at the time he’s an ex-NYPD cop and unlicensed private detective and recovering alcoholic. He’s hired to find the kidnapped wife of a drug dealer. In the process, he discovers that the kidnappers have done this before and it has led to brutal murders.”
It’s not the first time that the character of Scudder has been brought to the screen: Jeff Bridges played the character in the '80s film 8 Million Ways To Die. It’s also not the first time that A Walk Among The Tombstones has been in development. At one point Neeson’s A-Team and The Grey director Joe Carnahan was set to direct Harrison Ford in the film - but the project fell apart when Ford grew “concerned about the darkness in the character.” It would appear that Neeson has no such qualms about delving into darker territory (he did play Darkman, after all).
The Irish-born Neeson had a successful career as a character actor (albeit with the occasional high-octane role), but his action career was kick-started by Taken in 2008. The film was a surprise hit, grossing $145 million at the US box office and over $226 million worldwide. The actor followed that film with a string of action flicks like The A-Team, Unknown, Battleship and the upcoming sequel, Taken 2.
A Walk Among The Tombstones is sure to be another popular film in Neeson’s eclectic filmography, and we will unearth more details as its February start date approaches.
Source: Deadline