"Taken 2", as we speak, is still the number one film at the box office. Based on this, it didn't take long for "Taken 3" to get the green light -- script be damned. So, really who or what could be taken in a third "Taken" film? Instead, how about a "The Bourne Legacy"-type side story that begins while the events of "Taken 2" are still unfolding? After putting a good four minutes of thought into this idea, we think we just may have your story synopsis for "Taken 3".
(You're welcome, no one.)
Ted del Vecchio (Ed Burns) is a good cop. He knows what people think of him back in Tulsa -- he's heard the whispers -- but, no matter how things went down, no matter just how out of hand the allegations of corruption careened out of control, there's still one constant: Ted del Vecchio is a good cop.
After the allegations, Del Vecchio resigned from the Tulsa Police Department. Finding work wasn't easy -- not many departments are looking for disgraced cops with the kind of baggage that Ted del Vecchio was carrying.
It wasn't an easy decision to uproot his family and move to Istanbul. His wife, Laura, was a respected member of the local Charmed stage revival. All of those nights that he comforted Laura as she cried herself to sleep, "Laura, if anyone will ever portray Piper Halliwell again, it's going to be you. I promise." These words had offered little consolation at the time. And neither did his outlandish claim that "Istanbul has a very active Charmed underground following." They both knew it was a lie, but the offer from the Istanbul police force was just too good to turn down.
It was only Del Vecchio's second week on the job when the grenades exploded. The first one had detonated at a hotel parking lot. A predictable target yet sloppy execution, considering there were zero casualties, he thought. Some witnesses saw a suspicious looking American teenager standing in one of the hotel rooms. Other witnesses claim the woman was closer to 30.
The second grenade blast came from a few blocks away and the same teenager/adult woman was seen running through the streets. Again, no casualties. Who was this strangely compassionate or wildly inaccurate bomber?
By the time the third grenade had exploded, the suspect had already been given the nickname "The Terrible Grenade Throwing Woman." (At least, that was Del Vecchio's best guess, translating from Turkish. Also: The Turkish police force has never been known for their clever nicknames.)
It was time for Del Vecchio to prove his worth. It was up to Del Vecchio to track down "The Terrible Grenade Throwing Woman." But how? Actually, he knew just the man to track down this scoundrel -- an old friend back in the States: Bryan Mills. If anyone could help, it would be Bryan Mills.
Bryan Mills didn't particularly care for his daughter's new boyfriend, Jamie. But, he played the role of supportive father well and agreed to have milkshakes with the young couple. Mills had barely taken a sip of his shake when his phone rang -- it was his old friend that he has never mentioned audibly to anyone before, Ted del Vecchio. "Bryan, I need your help," pleaded Del Vecchio. "There have been some grenade blasts. Can you help?"
Little did Ted Del Vecchio realize at the time just how deep Bryan Mills was already involved.
Mike Ryan is senior writer for Huffington Post Entertainment. You can contact him directly on Twitter.