by FilmInk Staff
Liam Neeson is returning to Melbourne once again to film his next action-thriller, The Mongoose. This will be the third movie he has made in Victoria in four years.
The Mongoose stars Neeson as Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero who, accused of a crime he didn’t commit and with nothing to lose, leads police on an epic televised cross-country car chase. Helped by members of his former Special Forces Army battalion he is closely monitored by a fascinated public cheering for his safe getaway.
The project reunites Neeson with Code Entertainment, producers of both Ice Road and Ice Road 2: Road to Sky.
The Mongoose will be directed by veteran stunt professional Mark Vanselow, whose career as an action sequence director, includes two Screen Actors Guild award nominations for best stunt ensemble (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull).
The script is written by Thompson Evans (Reckoning). Code Entertainment’s Al Corley, Bart Rosenblatt, and Eugene Musso will produce. Jonathan Dana will executive produce with Code’s Rich Freeman along with Steven Shapiro and Liz and Ken Whitney of Jupiter Peak Productions. Lisa Wilson and Craig Chapman of The Solution Entertainment Group will also executive produce.
The Mongoose will be filmed across Melbourne and regional Victoria and will base production out of the Melbourne Screen Hub in Footscray. Filming commences in late January for eight weeks.
The production will create 453 jobs for Victorian screen workers, including 12 locals in Head of Department roles,16 cast and 222 casuals and extras. The film will inject more than $19 million into the Victorian economy, with an estimated 150 local businesses to be engaged.
More than 1,300 jobs were created when Neeson filmed Ice Road 2: Road to Sky (2023) and Blacklight (2020) in Victoria, generating more than $55 million in economic value for the state.
The Mongoose was attracted to Victoria through VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Rebate; and also received support from the Federal Government’s Location Offset.
Liam Neeson is represented by CAA, Bespoke Publicity and attorney Mark Stankevich.
