Liam Neeson, who most recently collaborated with power-producer Joel Silver and his Dark Castle banner on the actioner Unknown, may reunite with the man for the airborne thriller Non-Stop. The script, written by John Richardson and Chris Roach, is owned by Warner Bros. (where Silver makes most of his movies), who will distribute the film [Variety].
Neeson would play a world-weary air marshal who must deal with danger while on board an international flight. Jeff Wadlow – the man who gave us Cry_Wolf and Never Back Down – is attached to direct. This is yet another recently-announced project that rings eerily similar to the 1997 Harrison Ford hit Air Force One. Did some executive recently re-watch the film and realize it’s been a little bit of time since someone did the chamber thriller well?
Wadlow as director is a bit of concern, as his two studio features are laughed at in most circles. That said, the kind of joy the so-bad-it’s-good Never Back Down offers could work with a sellable star like Neeson on board. If taken too seriously by all involved, however, we could be seeing an unwanted remake of the terrible-in-every-way 90s airborne action flick Turbulence (don’t watch it!).
Neeson, who already has an earnest 2012 hit under his belt with The Grey, has Battleship, The Dark Knight Rises and Taken 2 coming out later this year.
Does Non-Stop have the kind of high concept that Liam Neeson fans expect? Will you see it?