Liam Neeson's Philip Marlowe Thriller Casts Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, As Filming Starts

The cast for the Liam Neeson-starring noir thriller, "Marlowe," just keeps getting more and more impressive. Oh, that's right, Liam Neeson is starring in a noir thriller called "Marlowe," which you would be forgiven for either not knowing about at all or for letting that information slip from your mind. We originally brought the news of this project to you back in 2017, when Neeson first signed on to play the role of the classic Raymond Chandler character, Philip Marlowe. The lineage of actors who've played the role of the private detective in films over the years include Robert Mitchum, James Garner, Humphrey Bogart, and Elliott Gould, putting Neeson in some rarified territory. We've heard very little about the production in the years since, however, until this latest casting update that includes names such as Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Daniela Malchior, and much more.

Created by writer Raymond Chandler, Philip Marlowe is commonly regarded as one of the founding characters in all of crime/detective fiction. In keeping with that status, Marlowe has recurred in several novels before making the jump to the big screen. "Marlowe" will be the latest attempt to bring the detective to life, with Neeson stepping into the lead role and far from the only big name in the cast. Collider reports that he'll be joined by a number of notable actors. These include Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alan Cumming, Danny Huston, Ian Hart, Daniela Melchior, Francois Arnaud, and Colm Meaney.

Based on the John Banville novel "The Black-Eyed Blonde," "Marlowe" comes from director Neil Jordan ("The Crying Game," "Byzantium," "The Borgias) and writer William Monahan ("Kingdom of Heaven," "The Departed," "Body of Lies"). The plot has been described as "...when bad business and loneliness start to take their toll on private detective Philip Marlowe (Neeson), a beautiful blonde arrives and asks him to find her ex-lover, which proves to be just a small part of a bigger mystery."

The report also includes character names, describing Kruger's character of Clare Cavendish as the femme fatale who hires Marlowe in the first place. Lange will play her mother, Dorothy Cavendish. Hart is set to play fellow detective Joe Green, Meaney is playing the DA's investigator Bernie Ohls, Huston has been cast as country club manager Floyd Hanson, Cumming will play gangster Lou Hendricks, and Akinnuoye will play his right-hand man Cedric.

"Marlowe" is currently filming and no official release date has yet been announced.