SSN Box Office Take: Is Liam Neeson Now the Top Action Star? Up & Up: 10 YouTubers Primed For Crossover, On the Set For 1/12/15

SSN ORIGINALS

Box Office: Did ‘Taken 3’s $40 Million Weekend Gross Rocket Liam Neeson To the Top Spot Among Action Stars?

The modern-day action film is smarter, global, and attracts some of the most notable performers of stage and screen. With Liam Neeson’s inexplicably popular Taken franchise again at the top of the box office, it’s time to take a fresh look at the action hero. (SSN)

The Up and Up: 10 YouTube Stars Primed For Crossover Into Film and TV

YouTubers have been making headlines of late with deals left and right. Last week, comedienne Grace Helbig snagged her own primetime talk show on E!; earlier this year, Endemol’s digital arm inked a development deal with Michelle Phan, and comedian Flula Borg will be seen in Pitch Perfect 2. (SSN)

On the Set For 1/12/15: Timur Bekmambatov Starts Lensing ‘Ben-Hur,’ Kevin Smith Wraps ‘Yoga Hosers’ and More

Also starting up, new films for Pierce Brosnan, Richard Gere and Nicolas Cage, while Eddie Murphy’s Cook also wraps principal photography. (SSN)

TODAY’S HEADLINES

Fans Of Stephen Colbert Now Can Circle September 8th On Their Calendars

That’s the day the comedian will debut his new show, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, which will broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater. David Letterman is set to retire May 20th. (HP)

Sony, DreamWorks and Disney Ask For Dismissal Of Wage-Fixing Class Action Suit

The three animation studios and Blue Sky Studios all have slammed the suit by visual effects artists, who claim the companies are denying workers in the community better employment opportunities. (HE)

Good News For Fans Of ‘Scorpion,’ ‘Madam Secretary’ and ‘NCIS: New Orleans’

All three series, midway through their debut seasons, have earned second season renewals from CBS. The network’s fourth new hour-long drama series, Stalker, has been given a full season but not yet been renewed for a second. (DH)

DC and The CW Are Getting In On the Female Superhero Thing

The comic book powerhouse and the network, already in business together with hit shows Arrow and The Flash, will now team on an animated series centered on African-American hero Vixen. (SAA)

It’s Official: Netflix Is Definitely Doing That ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ Prequel

David Wain and Michael Showalter, the writers of the original, are again behind the eight-episode series, which will be set in 1981 and will actually feature most of the original cast. It began shooting last week, so expect it later this year or early 2016. (EMP)

Fox Is Circling a Host Of Young Actors To Play Young Jean Grey, Cyclops and Storm

The latest X-Men movie, X-Men: Apocalypse, which will again be directed by the series’ original director Bryan Singer, is looking at names like Saoirse Ronan, Tye Sheridan, and  Alexandra Shipp, respectively. (TP)

Trailer Buzz: ‘House of Cards’

The first look at season three of the Golden Globe-winning Netflix series, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. Season three becomes available on the streaming service next month. (MF)