Emmy-winning director Alex Graves will reportedly helm the pilot episode of the series, which will serve as a prequel to the 2008 film that first introduced Liam Neeson as the quick-thinking, dangerously skilled former CIA agent Bryan Mills. Graves previously earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work as a director and producer on The West Wing, and also directed episodes of Game of Thrones, Homeland, and Shameless.
As initially reported by Deadline, Graves will reunite with Taken showrunner Alex Cary on the series, who penned the pilot episode and also serves as an executive producer on the project.
There’s no word yet on when the series will go into production, but the show is expected to feature a young Bryan Mills as he develops the skills that would go on to become the focal point of the three-film Taken franchise. The series will be set in the modern day, so it will be more of a spiritual prequel than a literal, in-continuity origin story. The actor playing Bryan Mills in the series has yet to be announced.
Along with directing multiple episodes of the aforementioned series, Graves also directed the pilot episodes of Fringe, Proof, and Terra Nova, among other projects. Filmmaker Luc Besson, who co-wrote and produced the original Taken and both its 2012 and 2014 sequels, will join Cary as an executive producer on the Taken series.
Although the television series will feature Bryan Mills, Neeson isn’t expected to appear in the Taken prequel or reprise his role as the character.
The original Taken earned a surprising $145 million domestically and $227 million worldwide on a $25 million budget, and spawned two successful sequels. The entire franchise has earned $374.1 million domestically and $929.5 million worldwide.
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