Founder of the modern Mature Assassins Guild (or the Old Age Punishers) Liam Neeson is taking on another hard-edged action film. Hard Powder is directed by Hans Petter Moland and written by Frank Baldwin and will go into production in March, according to the report from Variety.
The go on to report the synopsis, which sounds a touch familiar.
Neeson plays ‘ Nels, an upright snowplow driver, awarded a Citizen of the Year prize by his glitzy Colorado ski town, whose life is turned upside down when his son is murdered by a powerful local drug kingpin.
Fueled by an unwavering drive for vengeance and armed with heavy machinery, this unlikely hero sets out to dismantle the cartel with extreme prejudice, and he’s not stopping until he gets to the top of the food chain,” “Hard Powder’s” synopsis reads.
Nels’ vengeance sparks a turf war between a Native American mafia boss and the Viking, a fastidious gangster who wears Tom Ford suits, is a vegan, drives a Tesla and murders people. This climaxes in a final showdown that leaves almost no one unscathed.
If you’re experiencing déjà vu then it’s probably because is almost the exact basic synopsis of Moland’s 2014 thriller In Order of Disappearance starring Stellan Skarsgård. In that film Hard Powder’s ‘Viking’ was called ‘The Count’, and the theme of bloody revenge and violent repercussions made for a diverting film. The American remake swaps the frosty Norwegian locale to the Rocky Mountains.
Studiocanal and producer Michael Shamberg are behind the remake, and Neeson has made this type of role his own, with the Taken series, Non-Stop and many others in recent years. He’ll also be seen this year in Felt, Peter Landesman‘s exploration of the Watergate affair, with Neeson in the lead role as ‘Deep Throat’, aka Mark Felt.
