Liam Neeson may have won acclaim for his roles in Schindler’s List and Love Actually but it’s an series of action films which could make him one of the highest paid actors in the world.
Neeson has reportedly been offered $20million to reprise his role of a former CIA hitman in Taken 3 after the first two films took the box office by surprise.
Taken recouped its budget in a weekend in 2009, then last year’s sequel took an amazing $140million with a budget of $45million – making a third film almost inevitable.
Action man: Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills in Taken 2, a role he was initially reticent about taking
Neeson was reported to be a ‘reluctant participant’ in Taken 2, but an alleged $15million pay packet persuaded him.
Now Neeson's wage has been increased to $20million to persuade the Irish star to make the films into a trilogy, according to film website Deadline.
In the first film Neeson plays retired CIA agent Bryan Mills, who has to use all of his old tricks and skills to track down his daughter when she is kidnapped.
In the sequel it is Mills himself who is taken by Albanian terrorists, and he has to rely on his teenage daughter to rescue him.
