Pierre Morel to Bring ‘Bastille Day’ To the Big Screen

Having delivered the surprise hit 'Taken,' Pierre Morel was on board to direct Universal's planned re-adaptation of 'Dune.' But a funny thing happened, he helmed 'From Paris With Love' and it fizzled. And then so did his 'Dune.' But there's good news for the director as he's just signed on for 'Bastille Day.'

The Hollywood Reporter has the details, and it's based on a script by Andrew Baldwin and follows an American in Paris who teams with a CIA agent to stop a terrorist attack. Sounds a bit like 'From Paris With Love.'

"Taken' was good for his career, but it seems that Liam Neeson was the one who emerged from it a real star. Morel is good with practical action, but 'Taken' worked because it's got a very simple narrative, a great leading man, and a no-nonsense approach. His 'From Paris With Love' was not as bad as one might think, but it didn't show a great director, so much as a competent director of action.

Still, there's not enough good action movies these days that aren't awash in CGI, so this sounds promising. Much of the film will be made on casting. It's worth betting that the script's already at Liam Neeson's house.