Liam Neeson Replaces 'A-Team' Co-Star in 'Grey'

Joe Carnahan is still hoping for a big hit, and I'm sure if studios continue to support him, it'll happen. Was The A-Team any good? Not really. But it's probably exactly what Fox ordered. Carnahan was at one point going to make White Jazz, an adaptation of a James Ellroy book. He wrote L.A. Confidential, which he should be really proud of. But I've interviewed Ellroy and he's a prick, just so you know. But Carnahan's not directing that, at least not now, so there's no point expanding on it. Actually, you get more Google replies with "James Ellory asshole," so you might try that instead. Instead of that, Carnahan is reportedly sadling up for The Grey, about an oil driller who is stranded after an Alaskan plane crash and is the only survivor. His trek to civilization and safety is threatened by wolves, and by wolves, I mean real wolves and not lawyers. Those, as everyone knows, are actually jackals. Here's where it gets a little intriguing, though: Liam Neeson has joined the cast and you think, "Oh, OK, he had a good time working with Carnahan. That makes sense." But Liam's replacing Bradley Cooper...his co-star in Carnahan's A-Team. There's no information from The Hollywood Reporter as to why the switch might have been made, but my own thought is that when the film was announced earlier this year with Cooper in the lead role, he was kind of expected to have his second straight summer movie breakthrough, but that didn't exactly happen. Neeson, on the other hand, is one of the few guys to carry his own action movie in recent years. I'm not talking sequels and tailor-made properties, neither of which describes Taken, and since Grey is again a man on his own and on the ropes, I'd say this is a safe bet. It could be that Cooper got busy or there were money squabbles, but I think Neeson could withstand a so-so A-Team more than the younger guy really looking to make his mark.

Comments

[M. Wilson]

I recently read the script - Awesome. I'm really looking forward to this, and it seems like the type of movie Carnahan should be making right now. Hopefully he gets to make his White Jazz and Killing Pablo someday - Both great scripts. The man has talent - I'm looking forward to this.