Liam Neeson announces plans to retire from action films: 'It has to stop at some stage'

Liam Neeson has revealed that he may soon be retiring his very particular set of skills.

The Irish actor has enjoyed a long and prolific career in Hollywood, where he originally made his name in prestigious dramas such as Schindler's List, for which he he earned an Oscar nomination.

However, Neeson's role in the 2008 film Taken saw the Belfast native reinvent himself as an unlikely action star at the age of 56.

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Since then, Neeson has starred in a slew of Hollywood action films, often taking on the role of a hardened hero seeking justice his own way.

Although these films have proved incredibly popular with viewers, Neeson has admitted that his time as an action star may be coming to end in the near future.

"I’m 72 – it has to stop at some stage," Neeson told People magazine.

The Irish actor still performs his own fight scenes. However, he relies on his longtime collaborator Mark Vanselow to complete some of his more daring stunts.

Recognising that “you can’t fool audiences,” he said: “I don’t want Mark to be fighting my fight scenes for me.”

While he hasn’t officially announced his retirement from starring in action films, Neeson did say that it will likely be in 2025.

“Maybe the end of next year,” he said. “I think that’s it.”

While Neeson's time as an action hero may soon be coming to an end, the 72-year-old could could enjoy a third career act as a comedy star, having recently wrapped filming a reboot of the Leslie Nielsen cop comedy The Naked Gun.

Neeson is taking on the lead role in the modern version of the ’80s slapstick film, which starred Leslie Nielsen as Franklin “Frank” Drebin, a good-hearted yet gullible detective.

Akiva Schaffer of the comedy group The Lonely Island is directing the upcoming reboot, which is being produced by Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.

Neeson has long been rumoured to star in a Naked Gun reboot, with the Ballymena native first discussing his involvement with the project during an interview with People in February 2022.

"I've been approached by Seth MacFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the Naked Gun films," he told the show at the time.

"It'll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don't know."

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