VENGEANCE and TAKEN 2 News

ComingSoon brings word (via Variety) that Robert Mark Kamen, writer of The Karate Kid, The Fifth Element, and the Transporter series, has sold an action movie pitch to CBS Films.

Basically, it's a contemporary revenge love story -- what happens when violence meets love," Kamen said. "The main characters are 20 and Italian, and there are themes that echo films like 'The Godfather.' It's about family loyalty and how much someone owes their family and the past. It's not set in the gangster milieu but just outside it.

Essentially this sounds like The Fast and The Furious without the cars. They fail to mention how the "action" part of this action film will factor into the story, but Kamen has proven himself a capable writer (with the exception of the terrible Transporter 3) so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time, we're complaining about the opposite in a case like this: too much action, too little story. We'll see how the final product translates to the big screen.

Interestingly, buried in Variety's story is news that the screenplay to the Taken sequel is finished. Taken was the surprise hit of this year, starring Liam Neeson with a script co-written by Kamen and director Luc Besson. Since the script is finished, production will begin next year in accordance with Neeson's availability.

I'm guessing the plot will feature Maggie Grace's character on tour as a pop singer, where she'll be taken hostage and held for ransom. Throw your hat into the ring (or, uh, comments section) and let us know what you think the plot for Taken 2 might be. Did you like the original?