Hollywood loves a good action star, and Liam Neeson has become one of the most unexpected and prolific action gems of the last decade. When Taken turned into a surprise hit in 2009, the Irish actor went on to appear in a wide array of projects (big and small) that showed his ability to throw some serious punches and kick some serious ass. That said, Neeson made waves earlier this month when he suggested that (due to his age) he would retire from the genre, but now it seems that reports of his retirement may have been greatly exaggerated. The Oscar-nominee doubled down on his enthusiasm for action films and said:
It's not true. Look at me! You're talking in the past tense. I'm going to be doing action movies until they bury me in the ground. I'm unretired.
So there you have it, folks. Based on Liam Neeson's recent comments to Variety at the premiere of his new film, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, it seems that we can continue to look forward to Liam Neeson fighting wolves, rescuing kidnapped girls, and generally being a badass. Even at the relatively advanced age of 65 (by action star standards, that is), Neeson now seems intent on sticking to the genre until the bitter end.
It's not necessarily too surprising to learn that Liam Neeson has backpedaled on his desire to retire from the action genre. After all, he already has another thriller on the horizon in the form of The Commuter -- yet another team-up with Non-Stop director Jaume Collet-Serra -- in which he plays a businessman caught in the middle of a mysterious conspiracy onboard a commuter train. Neeson and Collet-Serra have produced a steady stream of solid action flicks over the last few years, so it only makes sense to continue doubling down on a formula that works for them.
Of course, just because Liam Neeson is sticking with the action genre doesn't mean that he is not going back to his dramatic roots. His latest project, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, puts him in the shoes of FBI agent Mark Felt (also known as "Deepthroat"), the man who leaked classified White House information to Woodward and Burnstein -- which resulted in the publication of the Pentagon Papers, and the subsequent resignation of President Richard Nixon. It does not look like Neeson throws any punches in this project, but his acting in the film certainly seems to pack a punch.
Make sure to watch out for Liam Neeson's next project when Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House debuts in theaters tomorrow on September 29; beyond that, The Commuter will premiere in theaters on January 12, 2018. As for everything set to debut on the big screen over the next year (Liam Neeson-focused or otherwise), take a look at CinemaBlend's 2017 movie premiere guide and our 2018 movie premiere guide and fill out your moviegoing calendars accordingly!
