“A-Team” News: Liam Neeson as Hannibal?

Joe Carnahan’s feature film version of The A-Team just got a whole lot more interesting.

After proving that he can make a film a big hit by just being a badass over a telephone in Taken, Liam Neeson is now said to be in talks to take on the role of Col. John “Hannibal” Smith from the late, great George Peppard. This is in addition to the persistent talk of The Hangover star Bradley Cooper being slated to take on the role of Templeton “Faceman” Peck from Dirk Benedict. Sure, most people would think you need to figure out how to handle replacing Mr. T, but smart money knows that Hannibal would be the linchpin of this film. He’s the leader, he’s the smart guy, and he must be charismatic as all hell. If you don’t get the right guy in this role, the rest of it falls apart. Liam Neeson would definitely be the right guy.

As far as B.A. Baracus goes, Common is one of the most recent rumors, whereas Carnahan movie vet Chris Pine has outright said he’d love to play Howling Mad Murdock (formerly Dwight Schultz) for him - although his asking price has recently skyrocketed thanks to Kirkin’ it up in Star Trek. Then again, when your star is made by revamping a campy TV show into a kick-ass movie, you might want to stick with what works.

More on These Topics: Bradley Cooper | Christ Pine | Common | Dirk Benedict | Dwight Schultz | George Peppard | Joe Carnahan | Liam Neeson | Mr. T | The A-Team