Liam Neeson to Battle Wolves in The Grey

Hey, do you remember that Alec Baldwin/Anthony Hopkins movie The Edge, where they survive a plane crash only to end up having to battle a grizzly? Ever wonder if it would have been better without the Baldwin, the bear, and with a little wolf thrown into the mix? Well have I got the movie for you!

Joe Carnahan, the director of this summer’s A-Team, is directing The Grey from a script that he cowrote with Ian Jeffers (Death Sentence). The Grey is set in Alaska, where an oil rig crew survive a plane crash, only to find themselves lost in the wildnerness. The men quickly find themselves under attack from a pack of large wolves who see the humans as invaders that must be killed. I’m guessing Neeson stars as the leader of the crew, and possibly the sole survivor.

The most interesting part of this story is that Neeson is replacing Bradley Cooper as the lead in this film. Cooper is 23 years younger than Neeson. While I don’t blame the studio for casting Neeson (honestly, I would root for the wolves if Cooper were still starring), is this a sign that Neeson is a bankable name now, or that he was just the most bankable name available at the time? Or, are they betting that they can hire a couple of name supporting actors to round out the rest of the oil rig crew? It will be interesting to keep an eye on the news that continues to come out about this movie as we get further along in the casting process.