Northern Irish star to take on action comedy role as head of UK branch of intergalactic police as Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones confirm they won’t return to the franchise.
Liam Neeson is joining Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson in a new “Men in Black” movie spinoff. The County Antrim actor will play the head of the United Kingdom branch of a secret organization which protects the Earth from intergalactic bad guys.
The franchise became a massive in after the 1997 original starring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. The most recent release was “Men in Black III”, released in 2012, also starring Josh Brolin. Neeson will now take on the role of head of office, the role held for Rip Torn in the American division of MiB.
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This role would be change of pace for Neeson who has more recently been know for his action roles, such as the movies “Taken”, “Non-Stop” and most recently “The Commuter”. This would be a more light-hearted role for Neeson who hasn’t starred in a comedy since he played the villain in “A Million Ways to Die in the West”.
What’s known so far about the new movie is the Chris Hemsworth, most famous for his role as Thor in the Marvel movies, and Tessa Thompson, will team up presumable to replace the characters of Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. The “Men in Black” original leads have confirmed that they will not be returning to the franchise.
The new ‘MEN IN BLACK’ spin-off film will see Tessa Thompson’s Em try to prove herself by joining the London MIB and will be paired with Chris Hemworth’s Agent H. The pair will become involved in a murder mystery that will lead to them on a global journey. (Source: @OmegaUGround) pic.twitter.com/gSkwYtohHv
— DiscussingFilm ? (@DiscussingFilm) May 20, 2018
The move will show Thompson, who plays Em, joining the London branch of “Men in Black”. She’ll be teamed up with the former ace agent named H, played by Hemsworth. The duo will find themselves traveling the world trying to solve a murder mystery according the ScienceFiction.com.
The new “Men in Black” is also described as an “an ensemble piece than a two-hander and will be more global in scale.” The rest of the cast has yet to be announced.
Variety reports that the new spin off will be directed by F. Gary Gray, who previously helmed “Straight Outta Compton” and “The Fate and the Furious”. Sony has fast-tracked the production with Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald producing, Steven Spielberg as executive producing and David Beaubaire overseeing the film. Matt Holloway and Art Marcum will write the script and the movie is set for release on May 17, 2019.
The first poster for Sony Pictures’ ‘MEN IN BLACK’ Spin-off has been officially released. (Source: Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada) pic.twitter.com/81KtJaooTl
— DiscussingFilm ? (@DiscussingFilm) May 22, 2018
Liam Neeson fans can see the Northern Irish star next, in Steve McQueen’s “Widows”, starring alongside Colin Farrell. It’s set for release on November 9 2018.
This summer Neeson will returning to Northern Ireland to film a romantic drama “Normal People” alongside Lesley Manville.
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In case you managed to somehow miss the "Men in Black" franchise here's some of the best scenes of the 1997 original:
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