Oscar-nominated actor Liam Neeson is in final negotiations to star in “A Willing Patriot,” which will be produced and fully financed by MadRiver Pictures, the company’s Marc Butan announced Monday.
Neeson will portray a CIA agent who engages in an elaborate cat-and-mouse game with a sinister terrorist planning an imminent attack. He’ll risk everything, including his own life, to stop his foe and avenge his own mysterious past.
Martin Zandvliet will direct from a script by Jason Keller, who will produce with Film 360’s Guymon Casady and Darin Friedman, and Hollywood Gang’s Gianni Nunnari. Shannon Gaulding will oversee the project for Hollywood Gang.
The project was originally developed by Keller, Film 360 and Hollywood Gang at Warner Bros. and subsequently acquired by MadRiver. Sierra/Affinity represents international rights on the film with CAA, which packaged the film and arranged the financing. CAA is also representing U.S. rights, and a wide domestic release deal is expected to be announced during the Cannes Film Festival.
“Liam Neeson is one of the defining actors of our generation and audiences will love him in this role. After seeing Martin’s new film ‘Land of Mine,’ we knew he was an incredible storyteller and the perfect match to collaborate with Liam,” said Butan.
Neeson is currently filming Martin Scorsese‘s “Silence” and he’s represented by CAA, while Zandvliet is repped by WME. Film 360 is represented by Julian Zafijen, and Hollywood Gang and Keller are repped by attorney Carlos Goodman.