Liam Neeson Is Playing Hollywood’s Greatest Detective
He has a new set of skills.
This article is more than 2 years old
When it comes to long spanning careers in Hollywood, Liam Neeson has just about everyone beat. The 70-year-old actor has appeared in almost every genre over his decades spanning run as one of the biggest names in the entertainment biz and now he’s ready to take on the next role. Deadline recently broke the news that the Schindler’s List star will be leading a new film that will see him starring as the renowned detective Philip Marlowe from Raymond Chandler’s mystery novels.
With a slew of content to choose from as Chandler has penned 10 books surrounding the fictional detective, the studio decided to adapt John Banville’s The Black-Eyed Blonde, which was taken from the Raymond Chandler estate. In the noir crime film titled Marlowe, audiences will watch as Liam Neeson dons the coat and hat of the legendary detective and transports us back to the late 1930s in Bay City. Marlowe will be introduced to us as a hardened detective who has lost his zest for life only to be hired by a famous family in hopes of tracking down the heiress daughter’s ex-lover. Diane Kruger will star as the heiress with Jessica Lange playing the heiress’ mother who is a famous movie star. As the investigation gets underway, Marlowe will discover that not all is how it initially seems with deceit and deception around every corner.
Starring alongside Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, and Jessica Lange will be a loaded call sheet made up of Danny Huston, Alan Cumming, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ian Hart, Colm Meaney, Daniela Melchior, and Francois Arnaud. William Monahan of The Departed fame is penning the script with Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) directing. Parallel Films’ Alan Moloney is producing alongside H2L Media Group’s Gary Levinsohn and Billy Hines, Nickel City Pictures’ Mark Fasano, and Storyboard Media’s Philip Kim and Patrick Hibler.
Marlowe will mark a momentous occasion for Liam Neeson as the The Phantom Menace star’s 100th film credit. A major accomplishment, it seems like there is no better role for him to play other than that of a legendary investigator. Jordan, who previously teamed up with the actor almost three decades ago for the biographical period drama Michael Collins, which saw Neeson star as the titular character referred to his leading man as “an icon,” perfectly suited to play the role of the equally iconic Philip Marlowe. If their last team up is any indication, Marlowe is bound to be a hit. Michael Collins was well received by both audiences and critics alike, and would even nab nominations for Best Original Score and Best Cinematography at the 69th Academy Awards.
With tons of projects up his sleeve, Liam Neeson isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In 2022 alone, the actor had two action based films – Blacklight and Memory – released. Along with Marlowe, fans can soon expect to see the Taken star in five more titles: Retribution, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, Cold Storage, Charlie Johnson in the Flames, and Thug, leading him towards bragging rights of having well over 100 titles by his 71st birthday.
