Clive Standen has nabbed the lead role in NBC’s “Taken” series, Variety has learned. The show, which landed a straight-to-series order, is a prequel based on the movie franchise.
Standen — who’s best known for History’s “Vikings” — will play a young Bryan Mills, the character made famous by Liam Neeson in the three “Taken” films.
“Homeland’s” Alex Cary is writer on the series, which is described as a modern-day prequel to the blockbuster feature film franchise that depicts how Bryan Mills developed and sharpened his particular set of skills. There is no episode order yet for the series hailing from EuropaCorp and Universal TV. Cary will exec produce with Luc Besson, Matthew Gross, Edouard de Vesinne and Thomas Anargyros. Alex Graves will direct.
“Taken” hit theaters in 2008 and was a surprise box office hit, spawning sequels in 2012 and 2014. The franchise is credited with turning Neeson into an action star late in his career.
The series is one of many reboots hitting television for the 2016-17 season, as many pilots this cycle are based on movies and TV series. Besides “Taken,” NBC also has a pilot for “Cruel Intentions” in the works.
