‘Narco Sub’ Locks Brian Kirk To Direct, Eyes Liam Neeson To Star
Another year, another new director forNarco Sub. As of nowBrian Kirk(Game of Thrones) is set to helm the long-gestating action thriller, which started out as aTony Scottprojectback in the day.
And now that a director is in place, the film is also closing in on a star.Liam Neesonis the likely lead, though he’s not a sure thing just yet. More on theNarco SubBrian Kirk hire after the jump.
According toTheWrap, Kirk has already closed his deal to direct with 20th Century Fox. He’s the latest in a string of filmmakers to try and tackle the tale. After Scott’s passing in 2012,Joe Carnahan,Doug Liman, andAntoine Fuquaeach took turns flirting withNarco Sub.
Ridley ScottandSimon Kinbergare producingNarco Sub, which has a script byDavid Guggenheim. The producers have reportedly been looking at Neeson for some months now, and are moving to lock him in now that they have a director.
The titleNarco Subrefers to wartercrafts used by South American cartels to smuggle cocaine into the U.S. The film centers on a disgraced American naval officer who is forced by an Ecuadorian drug lord to navigate one such narco sub past the U.S. Coast Guard.
Kirk is known for his TV work. He’s directed episodes of some of the most highly acclaimed shows in recent memory includingGame of Thrones,Boardwalk Empire,Luther, andDexter. However, he’s been looking to move into film. He made his feature directing debut with the 2006 indieMiddletown.
Neeson is coming off ofRun All Night, which once again plays off of the “aging badass” persona he established inTaken.Narco Subsounds right up his alley, especially if earlier reports — which indicated the main character’s son would be kidnapped — are true.
But theNarco Subfolks may want to move quickly, as he’s claimed he has"maybe two more years"of action movies left in him. In fact, his upcoming roles actually aren’t veryTaken-like at all. They includeTed 2,A Monster Calls, and Martin Scorsese’sSilence.
