Liam Neeson offered $20 million to reprise Taken role for new sequel

Liam Neeson is reportedly close to securing a $20 million (£12.9 million) payday to reprise his role as a retired CIA agent looking for revenge in another sequel to the Taken action franchise. The Irish actor, 61, brought vengeful Bryan Mills back to the big screen for last year’s (12) blockbuster Taken 2, which garnered more than $374 million (£241.3 million) at the global box office, despite negative reviews – and now studio chiefs at 20th Century Fox are pressing ahead with plans for a third installment.
According to Deadline.com, Neeson was reluctant to sign on for filmmaker Olivier Megaton’s Taken 2, but was swayed by a reported $15 million (£9.7 million) deal, and it appears movie bosses are keen to keep the actor on board for the next project by giving him a significant salary increase.
A director has yet to be attached to Taken 3 and it is not yet known if Neeson’s onscreen ex-wife and daughter, played by Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace, respectively, will return for the film.
The first Taken movie became a huge surprise hit in 2008, making over $226 million (£145.8 million) worldwide on a budget of $25 million (£16.1 million).