Taken is heading to the small screen, as NBC has handed a straight-to-series order on a prequel adaptation of the popular action movies, which starred Liam Neeson, Variety has confirmed.

The TV show hails from Luc Besson, who wrote the original feature franchise, and search for a writer and showrunner is under way. At this point, Neeson is not involved in the project.

The series will follow a young Bryan Mills (the character played by Neeson in the three flicks) who has no wife and children, opposed to the movies in which his wife and daughter are kidnapped.

What I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career

The show, first reported by Deadline, will focus on how Mills acquires his expert skills that enabled him to become the character known to audiences today.

The logline pays homage to the first film’s famous quote: “What I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career; skills that make me a nightmare for people like you.”

The Taken prequel hails from Universal TV and Besson’s EuropaCorp. Besson will be the executive producer, along with Matthew Gross, Edouard de Vesinne and Thomas Anargyros of EuropaCorp.

Taken was a surprise hit and the franchise turned Neesoninto a favourite action star.