Liam Neeson In the Land of Saints and Sinners

Northern Ireland actor Liam Neeson is joining the cast of new action-thriller Hotel Tehran with cameras set to roll on the film this summer.

The Taken star will join Shazam! and Chuck actor Zachary Levi in the new project from producer Guy Moshe.

Neeson is set to play the character of Larry and Moshe described the Oscar-nominated Ballymena man as an “icon”.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Liam Neeson to ‘Hotel Tehran,’” Moshe told Variety.

“He is a true thespian and an icon in our industry. The character he plays, Larry, is complex, irreverent, and inspired by real people.

“I know his fans around the world will relish seeing him inhabit this distinct role and I can’t wait to be there to capture it.”

Moshe wrote the script for “Hotel Tehran” with Mark Bacci (“Prisoner’s Daughte”), from an original idea by Bazzel Baz (“The Blacklist”), a former CIA Intelligence Special Operations Group Officer.

It marks the latest string to Neeson’s bow which has seen him establish himself as an action mainstay after starring in the likes of The Grey, Non-Stop and his latest release In the Land of Saints and Sinners.

Neeson plays haunted ex-assassin Finbar Murphy in the movie, a man attempting to live a quieter life in the coastal town of Glencolmcille — but an on-the-run IRA member breaks the fragile peace.

Speaking ahead of the Netflix release of the film last month, the actor said it was an interesting experience reliving the Troubles as “a piece of entertainment” in his latest role.

“Growing up, I was surrounded by violence. I never took part in it, but I was always surrounded by it,” he told YouTube channel MovieWeb.

“So, it was interesting to play a piece of entertainment based on those Troubles, as they were euphemistically known as.”

Fellow Irish actors Ciaran Hinds, Colm Meaney and Kerry Condon also star in the film.

Neeson added: “I’ve known Ciaran for 50 years, we’re very close friends.

“Colm Meaney, I’ve known Colm for 40 years, we’ve done a couple of plays together in Ireland in the old days.

“That was lovely and comfortable to be with Irish colleagues again and just to be able to indulge in one’s own Irishness.

“I shared a house with Ciaran and it was lovely. That aspect of it was lovely and we were all kind of close by, in various little houses, and the magnificent Atlantic Ocean there.”

Speaking recently about filming in the tiny village of Glencolmcille, Neeson told chat shows he loved filming back on the island of Ireland, particularly in Co Donegal which he described as Ireland’s forgotten county.

“(Donegal’s) rugged topography added something to the story of the turbulence of the 70s. Going to work was an absolute joy,” he said.