Hollywood megastar Liam Neeson is set to return to Australia to film his third action-thriller in Victoria, “The Mongoose”.
The production is expected to inject more than $19 million into the state’s economy, creating 453 local jobs and engaging approximately 150 Victorian businesses.
The eight-week shoot, commencing in late January, will employ 12 local department heads, 16 cast members, and 222 casual workers and extras.
Filmed across regional Victoria and headquartered at the Melbourne Screen Hub in Footscray, the project highlights the economic and creative impact of Victoria’s burgeoning screen industry.
Neeson’s previous films shot in the state—”Ice Road 2: Road to Sky” (2023) and “Blacklight” (2020)—together generated over $55 million in economic value and created more than 1,300 jobs.
In “The Mongoose,” Neeson stars as Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero wrongly accused of a crime who leads authorities on a televised, cross-country car chase.
The film reunites Neeson with Code Entertainment, the producers of “Ice Road” and its sequel, and is directed by veteran stunt professional Mark Vanselow, known for his work on “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
The script, written by Reckoning’s Thompson Evans, promises high-octane action with Flanagan becoming an unlikely folk hero, aided by his former Special Forces Army comrades.
Supported by VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Rebate and the Federal Government’s Location Offset, “The Mongoose” underscores the importance of government incentives in attracting big-budget productions to the region.
Returning Code Entertainment producers Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt said, “Shooting in Victoria again is fantastic.”
“Melbourne is a great city to shoot in – the local crews and the technical capabilities of the virtual stages are terrific.”
Minister for creative industries Colin Brooks said “The Mongoose” “is part of a strong pipeline of local and international productions that will power our screen industry in 2025.”
It may also be one of Neeson’s final action films.
It was widely reported just two months ago that the actor was considering retirement. “I’m 72 — it has to stop at some stage,” Neeson told People magazine in October. “You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want Mark [Vanselow, stunt collaborator] to be fighting my fight scenes for me.”