Liam Neeson is reportedly in talks to join the upcoming film Widows, according to The Wrap. Widows was a British crime miniseries that began in 1983 from actress/writer Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect). After winning three Academy Awards for 12 Years a Slave, director Steve McQueen is prepping a big screen version of Widows. McQueen is also co-writing the film with Gone Girl‘s Gillian Flynn. Viola Davis (How to Get Away with Murder), Michelle Rodriguez (The Fast and the Furious) and Cynthia Erivo (Mr. Selfridge) are set to star in the film. In the series, three robbers are killed during a crime and their widows, Dolly Rawlins (Ann Mitchell), Shirley Miller (Fiona Hendley) and Linda Perelli (Maureen O’Farrell), enlist the help of Bella O’Reilly (Eva Mottley) to pull of the raids that their husbands completely failed at.
In 2002, the first series was remade for the American market, but the plot was significantly changed. Instead of a traditional armed robbery, this version united the three widows and the fourth woman in a plan to steal a famous painting. This version starred Mercedes Ruehl (The Fisher King) as Dolly Rawlins, Brooke Shields (Suddenly Susan) as Shirley Heller, Rosie Perez (White Men Can’t Jump) as Linda Perelli, and N’Bushe Wright (Blade) as Bella O’Reilly.
Davis just won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Fences. Neeson was most recently seen in Silence, directed by Martin Scorsese. What do you think of the premise for the film? Did you see the 2002 remake? Which role do you think Liam Neeson will play in the film? Are you excited to see Steve McQueen’s version of it? We want to hear from you. Let us know your thoughts in the comments or tweet us @ComingSoonnet.