Editing Liam Neeson (section)

===2008–present: Action stardom ===
[[File:Liam Neeson Deauville 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Neeson at the Deauville American Film Festival in 2012.]]
In 2008, Neeson starred in the action film ''[[Taken (film)|Taken]]'', a French-produced film also starring [[Famke Janssen]] and [[Maggie Grace]], based on a script by [[Luc Besson]] and [[Robert Mark Kamen]] and directed by [[Pierre Morel]]. Neeson plays a retired [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] operative from the elite [[Special Activities Division]] who sets about tracking down his teenage daughter after she is kidnapped. ''Taken'' was a worldwide box-office hit, grossing $223.9&nbsp;million worldwide, making almost $200&nbsp;million more than its production budget. Neeson has said in interviews that he believed that ''Taken'' had put some people off the idea of actually travelling to Europe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.evoke.ie/showbiz/liam-neeson-interview-taken-2-graham-norton-show |first=Eleanore |last=Hutch |website=Evoke.ie |title=Kidnap epic Taken has put people off travelling to Europe, says Liam Neeson |date=30 December 2014 |access-date=28 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107064206/http://www.evoke.ie/showbiz/liam-neeson-interview-taken-2-graham-norton-show/ |archive-date=7 January 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Taken'' brought Neeson back into the centre of the public eye and resulted in his being cast in many more big-budget Hollywood movies. That year he also narrated the documentary ''Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity'' and again lent his voice to Aslan in ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian]]'' (2008).<ref name="Gresham exclusive to fans">{{Cite web |last=Martin |first=Paul |title=Exclusive Prince Caspian Updates with Douglas Gresham |website=NarniaFans |date=4 December 2006 |url=http://www.narniafans.com/?id=1013 |access-date=5 December 2006 |archive-date=15 December 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061215071016/http://www.narniafans.com/?id=1013 |url-status=live }}</ref> He also provided a voice for [[Hayao Miyazaki]]'s anime film ''[[Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea]]'', which received an August 2009 release.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/27/hayaomiyazaki |title=English-language cast announced for Miyazaki's Ponyo on the Cliff |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |access-date=30 November 2008 |date=27 November 2008 |first=Ben |last=Child |archive-date=30 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930144632/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/27/hayaomiyazaki |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2010, Neeson played [[Zeus]] in [[Clash of the Titans (2010 film)|the remake]] of the 1981 film, ''[[Clash of the Titans (1981 film)|Clash of the Titans]]''. The film was a huge box-office hit, grossing $475&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=clashofthetitans10.htm |title=Clash of the Titans (2010) |website=Box Office Mojo |access-date=21 June 2010 |archive-date=18 June 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618211401/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=clashofthetitans10.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Neeson also starred in [[Atom Egoyan]]'s erotic thriller ''[[Chloe (2009 film)|Chloe]]'', theatrically released by [[Sony Pictures Classics]] on 26 March 2010. ''Chloe'' had enjoyed commercial success and became the Canadian director's biggest money maker ever.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/article/901059--the-digital-revolution-film |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |first=Geoff |last=Pevere |title=The Digital Revolution: Part 1 |date=7 December 2010 |access-date=3 September 2017 |archive-date=29 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201229043606/https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2010/12/07/the_digital_revolution_part_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Later the same year, he played [[John "Hannibal" Smith]] in the [[The A-Team (film)|spin-off movie]] from the television series ''[[The A-Team]]''.<ref name="Chris Hewitt">{{cite magazine |url=https://empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=25013 |title=Neeson And Cooper Are The A-Team |first=Chris |last=Hewitt |magazine=Empire |date=9 June 2009 |access-date=9 June 2009 |archive-date=25 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325032009/http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=25013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Cooper in A-Team film?">{{cite web |title=Cooper in A-Team film? |url=http://www.teletext.co.uk/bigscreen/news/874ad1990654eebb77fdb6d8d4e2281a/Cooper+in+A-Team+film.aspx |website=Teletext |access-date=11 June 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909045411/http://www.teletext.co.uk/bigscreen/news/874ad1990654eebb77fdb6d8d4e2281a/Cooper%2Bin%2BA-Team%2Bfilm.aspx |archive-date= 9 September 2009 }}</ref> Neeson voiced Aslan once more in the 2010 sequel ''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]''. That same year he made a guest-star appearance on the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] series ''[[The Big C (TV series)|The Big C]]'' with [[Laura Linney]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tvguide.com/News/Liam-Neeson-Big-C-1020990.aspx |title=Liam Neeson to Appear on The Big C |first=Joyce |last=Eng |date=26 July 2010 |magazine=TV Guide |access-date=12 December 2019 |archive-date=20 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220111203/http://www.tvguide.com/news/liam-neeson-big-c-1020990.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2011, Neeson starred in the action-thriller ''[[Unknown (2011 film)|Unknown]]'', a German-British-American co-production of a French book filmed in Berlin in early 2010, and directed by [[Jaume Collet-Serra]].  This film led to a collaboration between Neeson and Collet-Serra (as director and/or producer) on a series of similar action films including ''[[Non-Stop (film)|Non-Stop]]'' (2014), ''[[Run All Night (film)|Run All Night]]'' (2015), ''[[The Commuter (film)|The Commuter]]'' (2018) and ''[[Retribution (2023 film)|Retribution]]'' (2023). Neeson reunited with Steven Spielberg with plans to star as [[Abraham Lincoln]] in the 2012 film ''[[Lincoln (film)|Lincoln]]'', based on the book ''[[Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln|Team of Rivals]]'' by [[Doris Kearns Goodwin]].<ref name="abelincoln-varit">{{Cite magazine |last=Fleming |first=Michael |title=Lincoln logs in at DreamWorks: Spielberg, Neeson eye Abe pic |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=11 January 2005 |url=https://variety.com/2005/film/features/lincoln-logs-in-at-dreamworks-1117916168/ |access-date=24 January 2007 |archive-date=10 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071010045818/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117916168.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> In preparation for the role, Neeson visited the District of Columbia and [[Springfield, Illinois]], where Lincoln lived before being elected, and read Lincoln's personal letters.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=18545 |title=Liam Neeson Talks Lincoln |website=ComingSoon.net |access-date=2 May 2007 |last=Evry |first=Max |date=24 January 2007 |archive-date=30 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070630231905/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=18545 |url-status=live }}</ref> Neeson eventually declined the role, claiming he was "past his sell date" and had grown too old for the role and was replaced by [[Daniel Day-Lewis]] (who won his third [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for playing Lincoln).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a253207/neeson-quits-spielbergs-lincoln-biopic.html |title=Neeson quits Spielberg's Lincoln biopic |website=[[Digital Spy]] |date=30 July 2010 |access-date=4 October 2012 |archive-date=28 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130128113556/http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/news/a253207/neeson-quits-spielbergs-lincoln-biopic.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Festival Deauville 2012 - Jour 8.jpg|thumb|right|Liam Neeson, [[Deauville American Film Festival|Deauville Film Festival]], 2012]]
In 2011, he played himself in BBC2's series ''[[Life's Too Short (TV series)|Life's Too Short]]'' starring [[Ricky Gervais]], [[Stephen Merchant]] and [[Warwick Davis]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lifes-too-short-seres-premiere-liam-neeson-video_n_1288644|title= 'Life's Too Short' Series Premiere: Liam Neeson Tries His Hand At Improv Comedy (VIDEO)|website= HuffPost|date= 20 February 2012|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> In late 2011, Neeson was cast to play the lead character, a journalist, in a new album recording and arena production of ''[[Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds#The New Generation|Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds]]''. He replaced [[Richard Burton]], who had posthumously appeared in the arena production through [[computer generated imagery|CGI animation]]. Neeson did not physically appear on the stage, instead playing the role through the use of 3D [[holography]]. In 2012, Neeson starred in [[Joe Carnahan]]'s ''[[The Grey (film)|The Grey]]''. The film received mostly positive reviews and Neeson's performance received critical acclaim. He also starred in ''[[Taken 2]]'' (2012), a successful sequel to his 2008 blockbuster.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/luc-bessons-europacorp-reports-strong-419600 |title=Luc Besson's EuropaCorp Reports Strong Growth in Third Quarter Results |access-date=26 April 2013 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2 February 2013 |archive-date=6 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506125358/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/luc-bessons-europacorp-reports-strong-419600 |url-status=live }}</ref> That year, he reprised the role of Ra's al Ghul in a cameo appearance in ''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]'' (2012), the final film in [[Christopher Nolan]]'s ''[[The Dark Knight Trilogy]]''. Dialogue from his role as Ra's al Ghul in ''Batman Begins'' was featured in the first trailer for the film.

Neeson had a supporting role as the henchman Bad Cop/Good Cop in the animated film ''[[The Lego Movie]]'', which was a critical and commercial success. Neeson later played Bill Marks in the 2014 action film ''Non-Stop''. The film was released on 28 February 2014. He also appeared, uncredited, as God in the [[BBC2]] series ''[[Rev. (TV series)|Rev.]]''. Neeson stars in the 2014 film ''[[A Walk Among the Tombstones (film)|A Walk Among the Tombstones]]'', an adaption of the best-selling [[A Walk Among the Tombstones (novel)|novel of the same name]], in which he plays former cop Matthew Scudder, a detective hired to hunt the killers of a drug dealer's wife. During [[Super Bowl XLIX]], [[Supercell (video game company)|Supercell]] did a ''[[Clash of Clans]]'' commercial with Neeson playing the game as "AngryNeeson52" and vowing revenge on his opponent "BigBuffetBoy85" while waiting for his scone at a bakery.<ref>{{cite news |last=Frankel |first=Todd C. |title=With Kate Upton and Liam Neeson ads, mobile gaming has its Super Bowl moment |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=2 February 2015 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/02/02/with-kate-upton-and-liam-neeson-ads-mobile-gaming-has-its-super-bowl-moment/ |access-date=4 February 2015 |archive-date=4 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150204023206/http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2015/02/02/with-kate-upton-and-liam-neeson-ads-mobile-gaming-has-its-super-bowl-moment/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The appearance was a parody of his role in ''Taken''. In 2016, Neeson narrated the [[RTÉ One]] three-part documentary on the [[Easter Rising]], ''1916''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iftn.ie/distribution/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4289076&tpl=archnews&force=1 |title=RTÉ secures multiple international deals for Liam Neeson narrated '1916' documentary |date=10 March 2016 |first=Seán |last=Brosnan |work=Irish Film & Television Network |access-date=8 April 2016 |archive-date=15 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415050856/http://iftn.ie/distribution/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4289076&tpl=archnews&force=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Following the success of the ''Taken'' films, Neeson has become increasingly known as a star of [[action thriller film]]s.<ref>{{cite news|title=Is Liam Neeson Really Quitting Action Movies? What The Blacklight Actor Has To Say|url=https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/is-liam-neeson-really-quitting-action-movies-what-the-blacklight-actor-has-to-say|work=Cinemablend|date=12 February 2022|access-date=12 February 2022|archive-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213002630/https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/is-liam-neeson-really-quitting-action-movies-what-the-blacklight-actor-has-to-say|url-status=live}}</ref>  Besides ''The A-Team'', ''Unknown'', ''The Grey'', ''Non-Stop'', ''A Walk Among the Tombstones'', ''Run All Night'', ''The Commuter'' and Retribution, other recent action films starring Neeson have included ''[[Cold Pursuit]]'' (2019), ''[[Honest Thief]]'' (2020), ''[[The Marksman (2021 film)|The Marksman]]'' (2021), ''[[The Ice Road]]'' (2021), ''[[Blacklight (film)|Blacklight]]'' (2022), ''[[Memory (2022 film)|Memory]]'' (2022), ''[[In the Land of Saints and Sinners]]'' (2024) and ''[[Absolution (2024 film)|Absolution]]'' (2024).  Neeson has indicated a desire to retire from the action genre though the films have taken his acting career in a new direction.

In 2016, Neeson reunited with director [[Martin Scorsese]] with the drama [[Silence (2016 film)|an adaptation of the novel ''Silence'']] starring alongside [[Andrew Garfield]] and [[Adam Driver]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2014/01/liam-neeson-silence-movie-martin-scorsese-674801/ |title=Liam Neeson Set To Star in Martin Scorsese's 'Silence' |access-date=31 January 2014 |website=Deadline |date=31 January 2014 |archive-date=1 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201004724/http://www.deadline.com/2014/01/liam-neeson-silence-movie-martin-scorsese/ |url-status=live }}</ref> That same year, he did the voice and [[motion capture]] for the Monster in the Spanish film ''[[A Monster Calls (film)|A Monster Calls]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=McClintock |first=Pamela |title=Cannes: Liam Neeson Joins 'A Monster Calls' |url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-liam-neeson-joins-a-702270 |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=8 May 2014 |access-date=31 October 2016 |archive-date=3 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203002217/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-liam-neeson-joins-a-702270 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2018 he acted in the [[Coen brothers]]' western anthology film ''[[The Ballad of Buster Scruggs]]''<ref>{{cite magazine|url= https://ew.com/movies/2018/11/27/ballad-of-buster-scruggs-endings/|title= The Ballad of Buster Scruggs: 14 things you might have missed|magazine= [[Entertainment Weekly]]|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> and the [[Steve McQueen (director)|Steve McQueen]] crime thriller ''[[Widows (2018 film)|Widows]]'' acting opposite [[Viola Davis]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.npr.org/2018/11/15/666943653/a-heist-and-a-whole-lot-more-as-viola-davis-delivers-in-widows|title= A Heist, And A Whole Lot More, As Viola Davis Delivers In 'Widows'|website= NPR|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> He portrayed [[Mark Felt]] in ''[[Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House]]'' (2017) directed by [[Peter Landesman]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2017/film/news/liam-neeson-watergate-mark-felt-1202574490/|title= Liam Neeson Says He's 'Unretired' From Action Movies at the 'Mark Felt' Premiere|website= Variety|date= 27 September 2017|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> and [[Philip Marlowe]] in ''[[Marlowe (2022 film)|Marlowe]]'' (2022) directed by [[Neil Jordan]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/marlowe-movie-review-2023|title= Marlowe|website= Rogerebert.com|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> He acted in the romantic drama ''[[Ordinary Love (film)|Ordinary Love]]'' (2019) with [[Lesley Manville]]<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ordinary_love|title= Ordinary Love|website= Rotten Tomatoes|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> and the biographical drama ''[[Wildcat (2023 film)|Wildcat]]'' starring [[Maya Hawke]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/wildcat-review-maya-hawke-flannery-oconnor-1235710667/|title= 'Wildcat' Review: Maya Hawke Embodies Not Just Flannery O'Connor but the Spirit of Her Characters|website= Variety|date= 2 September 2023|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref> On television he played Chief Constable Byers	 in ''[[Derry Girls]]'' (2022), and portrayed a fictional version of himself in ''[[Atlanta (TV series)|Atlanta]]'' (2022).<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/apr/12/liam-neeson-makes-surprise-appearance-in-new-series-of-derry-girls|title= Liam Neeson makes surprise cameo in new series of Derry Girls|website= The Guardian|date= 12 April 2022|accessdate= March 21, 2024|last1= Ambrose|first1= Tom}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/donald-glover-liam-neeson-atlanta-racism-backlash-1235573824/|title= Donald Glover Had Jordan Peele Convince Liam Neeson to Poke Fun at 2019 Racism Controversy on 'Atlanta': 'Liam Poured His Heart Out'|website= Variety|date= 4 April 2023|accessdate= March 21, 2024}}</ref>