Just a few months afterLiam Neesonsigned on to star in StudioCanal’sThe Commuter, it seems the actor is reuniting with his regular collaborator behind the camera.Deadlinereports thatJaume Collet-Serrahas come aboard to directThe Commuter. This will be the fourth project the actor and director have collaborated on, followingUnknown,Non-Stopand last year’sRun All Night.
Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi wrote the screenplay, which follows a businessman (Liam Neeson) who unwillingly gets embroiled in a criminal conspiracy during his daily commute home. This sinister plot not only endangers his life, but also the lives of several other commuters around him. We first reported onThe Commuterway back in 2010, whenOlatunde Osunsanmi(The Fourth Kind) signed on to direct, but that was the last we heard about the project.
Jaume Collet-Serrawill executive produce with his Ombra Films partner Juan Sola. Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will produce through their newly-formed The Picture Company. The producers, who were former executives atJoel Silver’s Silver Pictures, formed this company less than a year ago, and this project will be their first to go into production. The Picture Company also has a number of other projects indevelopment, such as 20th Century Fox’sEscape from New Yorkremake, Disney’sThe Tracking of a Russian Spyand a reinvention of the 1974 film Don’t Look Now, for StudioCanal.
Byron Willinger and Philip de Blasi previously wrote The Crossing for Screen Gems,Skyscraperfor Universal andParadise Lostfor Legendary Pictures, which are all in various stages of development at this time. This project will reunite the producers, StudioCanal andLiam Neeson, since they all collaborated on recentthrillerssuch asUnknownandNon-Stop. No production schedule or release date has been revealed yet forThe Commuter.
Liam Neesonwill next be seen inMartin Scorsese’sSilence, which is expected to hit theaters sometime this year although an official release date has not been given. He will also lend his voice to the monster in this fall’sA Monster Calls, set for release on October 14. We’ll keep you posted with more details onThe Commuteras soon as they’re available.
