I was thinking about going with the obvious pun and titling this article something akin to “how do you feel about being Taken a third time,” but that seemed a little on the nose and judgmental considering the reviews. Of course now I’m telling you about it, so you know what I think anyway and it’s too late now.
I should also add that this is probably going to piss you off. It technically makes good business sense, sure – but it’s still in all likelihood going to piss you off. TAKEN 2, a movie more disliked than most of the rest of its movie brethren, is very possibly receiving the sequel treatment. Though as with TAKEN 2, co-screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen sees it more as “not really a sequel, it’s a continuation story.” There’s also the “continuation story” seen in the comparative mega-profits Bryan Mills has already wrested in just a weekend – $49.5 million – one that immediately made everyone involved perk up and take notice that Mills’ special set of skills was still as hot as they’d hoped. “We didn’t start talking about [TAKEN 3] until we saw the numbers,” said Kamen. “But then we said, ‘oh, okay. I think we should do a third one.’ And Fox wants us to do a third one.”
As for just what ground a third movie might cover? “We’ve taken everyone we can take — it’s going to go in another direction. Should be interesting.” Though the question then becomes: why would it still be called TAKEN… ? But whatever the plot conceit, whatever the way a sequel goes, I think we can all agree: Neeson Season is at hand, and you don’t deny Liam Neeson his f***ing season.