Hollywood icon Liam Neeson is returning to Australia to film The Mongoose, his third action-thriller shot in Victoria. The production is expected to contribute more than $19 million to the state’s economy, creating 453 local jobs and involving around 150 Victorian businesses.
The eight-week shoot, scheduled to begin in late January, will employ 12 local department heads, 16 actors, and 222 casual workers and extras. Filming will take place across regional Victoria, with the Melbourne Screen Hub in Footscray serving as the production base.
The film highlights Victoria’s growing influence in the global film industry, both economically and creatively. Neeson’s previous films shot in the state—Ice Road 2: Road to Sky (2023) and Blacklight (2020)—helped generate over $55 million in economic value and created more than 1,300 jobs.
In The Mongoose, Neeson plays Ryan “Fang” Flanagan, a war hero wrongly accused of a crime, who sparks a nationwide car chase broadcast on live television. The film also reunites Neeson with Code Entertainment, the producers behind Ice Road and its sequel. Directed by veteran stuntman 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 film promises intense action sequences.
The script, written by Reckoning’s Thompson Evans, follows Flanagan as he becomes an unlikely folk hero, aided by his former Special Forces comrades.
Supported by VicScreen’s Victorian Screen Rebate and the Federal Government’s Location Offset, The Mongoose underscores the critical role of government incentives in attracting major film projects to the region.
Producers Al Corley and Bart Rosenblatt of Code Entertainment expressed excitement about returning to Victoria. “Melbourne is a fantastic city to shoot in—the local crews and the technical capabilities of the virtual stages are outstanding,” they said.
Minister for Creative Industries Colin Brooks highlighted The Mongoose as part of a broader pipeline of local and international productions that will fuel Victoria’s screen industry in 2025.
The film may also mark one of Neeson’s final action roles. In October, the 72-year-old actor revealed to People magazine that he’s contemplating retirement. “It has to stop at some stage,” Neeson said. “You can’t fool audiences. I don’t want Mark [Vanselow] to be fighting my fight scenes for me.”
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