Liam Neeson will star as Raymond Chandler’s famous detective Philip Marlowe in a movie coming out later this year, Deadline reports.
The Oscar-nominated Northern Irish actor is headlining Marlowe, based on the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde, written by author John Banville under the pen name Benjamin Black. A critic for Kirkus called the book, which follows Marlowe on the trail of a missing Hollywood agent, “a treat for fans.”
Marlowe is directed by Neil Jordan, known for films including The Crying Game, Interview With the Vampire, and The End of the Affair. William Monahan (The Departed) wrote the screenplay.
Also starring in the film are Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Suicide Squad), Alan Cumming (GoldenEye), Jessica Lange (Tootsie), François Arnaud (I Killed My Mother), and Danny Huston (The Constant Gardener).
Philip Marlowe has been portrayed by a host of actors before, including Humphrey Bogart in The Big Sleep (1946), Elliott Gould in The Long Goodbye (1973), and Robert Mitchum in Farewell, My Lovely (1975).
Director Jordan said he “can’t imagine” his film without Neeson playing the famed detective.
“Maybe you need an icon to play an icon—that said, I couldn’t feel more honored to be teaming with Liam on his 100th movie, a project we’re all incredibly proud of,” Jordan said.
Marlowe is set to premiere in theaters on Dec. 2.
Michael Schaub, a journalist and regular contributor to NPR, lives near Austin, Texas.
