RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

Retro-Cast: Casting Taken In The 1980s

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If the gritty 2008 action thriller Taken was made back in the 1980s, it might’ve starred Charles Bronson in the Liam Neeson role.

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RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

Back in 2008, Taken became an unlikely blockbuster that grossed over $200 million worldwide. Audiences responded to the visceral thrills, the novelty of Liam Neeson playing an action hero, and the universal theme of the lengths that a desperate parent will go to in order to protect their kid. The movie launched a lucrative franchise and reinvigorated Neeson’s career.

With its straightforward storytelling and themes of revenge and vigilante justice, Taken felt like a callback to the classic grindhouse actioners of the ‘70s and ‘80s. If the movie was made in that era, it might’ve starred Charles Bronson and Molly Ringwald.

7 Charles Bronson As Bryan Mills

RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

The role of Bryan Mills in Taken completely reinvented Liam Neeson’s on-screen persona. He went from a brooding dramatic actor known for playing historical figures to a brooding exploitation antihero known for playing vengeful fathers. The pinnacle of this kind of movie star is authentic tough guy Charles Bronson, who pioneered the vigilante thriller with Death Wish.

Bronson played a handful of very similar roles to Mills in the ‘80s. In J. Lee Thompson’s underrated gems 10 to Midnight and Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects, Bronson played a tough-as-nails lawman going rogue when his daughter is in danger.

6 Molly Ringwald As Kim Mills

RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

In the original Taken, the role of Mills’ daughter Kim – the one who gets “taken” – was played by Maggie Grace, best known for her roles in Lost and later The Twilight Saga and Fear the Walking Dead. In the ‘80s, Molly Ringwald was one of the biggest teen movie stars in Hollywood, belonging to the so-called “Brat Pack.”

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Ringwald frequently collaborated with John Hughes, the king of high school comedies. The tragedy of Kim’s kidnapping speaks for itself, but audiences would really buy into the seriousness of the situation if they recognized Kim as Claire from The Breakfast Club or Andie from Pretty in Pink.

5 Jill Ireland As Lenore Mills-St. John

RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

The role of Bryan’s ex-wife, Lenore Mills-St. John, was filled by Famke Janssen. While Lenore doesn’t get involved in any of the action in Taken, Janssen is a staple of action cinema, having appeared in both the Bond and X-Men franchises.

In the ‘80s, if Taken starred Charles Bronson, then Lenore could’ve been played by Bronson’s real-life spouse, Jill Ireland. Bronson and Ireland often worked together throughout their marriage; she had roles in 15 of his movies. In Taken, their on-screen chemistry as a married couple (Bryan and Lenore are separated, but the sparks are still there) would’ve been fully convincing.

4 Ernest Borgnine As Sam Gilroy

RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

Audiences are introduced to a bunch of Bryan’s old buddies from the CIA. He hosts them at his apartment for a barbecue and they rope him into taking a freelance security job. The one that gets the most screen time is Sam, played by Leland Orser. He’s the friend that Bryan calls to get some intel on Kim’s kidnappers.

Sam is required to deliver all the necessary exposition about what will happen to Kim if Bryan doesn’t find her within 96 hours. Bronson’s Dirty Dozen co-star Ernest Borgnine was noted for a rich, captivating voice that was both intense and laid-back. He could’ve done wonders with this expository role.

3 Christina Applegate As Amanda

RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

Kim is doomed when her best friend Amanda invites her on a trip across Europe – starting in Paris – to follow U2 on tour. Amanda was originally played by Katie Cassidy. Much like Kim, Amanda gets taken, but she meets a much less fortunate fate as Bryan isn’t able to save her in time.

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Amanda serves to both set up the conflict of the narrative and symbolize the stakes of that conflict. In the ‘80s, the part could’ve been played by Christina Applegate. It would’ve been jarring to see Kelly Bundy from Married… with Children in this role.

2 James Woods As Stuart St. John

RetroCast Casting Taken In The 1980s

Stuart St. John is Lenore’s rich new husband who constantly tries to one-up Bryan and was ultimately revealed to be a villain in the sequels. The role was originally played by Xander Berkeley. Having played similarly unflattering roles in 24 and The Walking Dead, Berkeley is seemingly Hollywood’s go-to actor for hateable smarm.

In the ‘80s, James Woods experimented with darker roles in movies like Videodrome and Once Upon a Time in America. He could’ve easily dialed up the smarm to play the spineless Stuart opposite Bronson’s tough-guy grit.

1 Tina Turner As Sheerah

Bryan’s CIA reflexes and combat skills are first shown off when his friends recruit him for a security job. He has to guard a pop singer named Sheerah, played by Holly Valance, who offers to help Kim get into the music business after Bryan saves her from an attacker. Valance does a fine job with the character, but she’s not the superstar that Sheerah is supposed to be.

This character might work better played by a bona fide real-life pop star that audiences would recognize instantly. In the ‘80s, Tina Turner would certainly fit the bill. In addition to her legendary recording career, Turner made memorable film appearances in Tommy and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/taken-casting-eighties-actors/

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