New international trailer: “Taken 2”

Pierre Morel’s “Taken” was the movie that launched the Liam Neeson Renaissance, which elevated Neeson from “admired character actor”-status to “action star”-status. It grossed a whopping $226 million worldwide, and this was made all the more impressive by the fact that 64 percent of the total came from the United States — highly unusual for a Euro-centric action film.

Neeson is back for “Taken 2,” the brand-new international trailer for which is embedded above. This time, it isn’t Neeson’s daughter who has been kidnapped; it is his wife (how original, right?). The director’s seat has changed hands from Morel to another frequent collaborator of producer Luc Besson, Oliver Magaton (“Transporter 3,” “Colombiana”). And the budget has more than tripled, so get ready for some elaborate action set-pieces.

“Taken 2” hits U.S. theaters on October 5.