Beam Me Up, Scotty!: Bryan's iconic threat in the actual first movie is different from how it was featured in the posters.
Poster text: I don't know who you are. But if you don't let my daughter go, I will find you... I will kill you. Actual movie quote: I don't know who you are. I don't know what you want. If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don't have money. But what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let my daughter go now, that'll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you... and I will kill you.
California Doubling: Certain scenes in the third film (such as the ones involving vehicles) were filmed in coastal Southern Spain.
In Germany, the first movie is known as 96 Hours... complete without translation in English, making finding this article exceptionally hard without the help of IMDB.
And in Russia it's called The Hostage (Заложница).
In Italy, it became Io vi troverò (I will find you).
In Spain, it's Venganza (Revenge).
In Latin America, it's called Búsqueda Implacable (Implacable Search)
Dawson Casting: 25-year-old Maggie Grace as 17-year-old Kim in the first movie. She's 29 in the sequel, which is supposed to have happened two years later.
Dueling Shows: Film to show in this case. Effectively started locking horns with rival network CBS when they started airing their counterpart to this show, Ransom, at the exact same time.
All the Albanian and Turkish people seen in Taken 2 are played by Kurds (e.g. Murad's actor, Rade Šerbedžija, is a Croatian Serb). This is because the crew responsible for the casting couldn't find proper Albanian actors who found the first film offensive to their nationality, and even many Turks didn't want a part in it.
In Taken 3, the Russian Oleg Malankov is played by the British Sam Spruell.
Life Imitates Art: In November of 2021, 60-year old John Eisenman was charged with murdering his daughter's 19-year old boyfriend Aaron Sorensen after discovering he had sold her into sex trafficking ring in Seattle, Washington. After rescuing and recovering his daughter, Eisenman reportedly tracked down Sorensen, abducted him, tied him up, beat him with a cinder block, stabbed him to death, and then left him in the trunk of a car, where his remains would not be discovered for nearly a year.
Money, Dear Boy: Liam Neeson didn't really care about the first film, and only took the job because he thought it was a Direct to Video film and would be a quick paycheck. His fee went up considerably for the sequels when he realized he had a franchise on his hands, and he was paid $20 million to play Bryan again in Taken 3.
Stuart goes from being played by Xander Berkeley in the first movie to Dougray Scott in Taken 3, after his absence in Taken 2. This change is rather stark, considering that the two look nothing alike, even in age.
Bryan himself is played by Clive Standen in the TV series instead of Liam Neeson, arguably because the series takes place years before the movies and thus a younger actor like Standen would be necessary.
During the Gower Quest in RuneScape, the player tells Sphenishchev that they need someone with a "very particular set of skills."
Also in RuneScape, the Diddykin pet may tell the player, "If I ever see or hear that you killed a dragon I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you..."
In The Flash episode "Infantino Street", Barry Allen tells Leonard Snart that he needs his "particular set of skills." Snart replies, "Great movie."
The Arrow episode "Taken" has a similar premise to the first film.
In Deadpool (2016), the titular character mentions, "I had another Liam Neeson nightmare. I kidnapped his daughter and he just wasn't having it. They made three of those movies. At some point you have to wonder if he's just a bad parent."
Sleeper Hit: The first film was a fairly low-profile project, with Liam Neeson expecting it to be Direct to Video. However, it was released theatrically and proved to be a hit with global audiences, prompting the production of sequels.
Vancouver is used to represent many, many different American states over the course of more than half a century, sometimes more successfully than others.
Subverted in "High Hopes" in which Tom and Becky bring Jacob to Vancouver to hide him from the UFO project.
Deleted Scene: The Previously on… segment of "Jacob and Jesse" includes a scene deleted from "Beyond the Sky" in which Owen Crawford tells Howard Bowen and Marty Erickson that he saw the alien ship that crashed in Roswell and its occupants.
Fake American: Howard Bowen and Jesse Keys are played by the Canadian actors Jason Gray-Stanford and James Kirk respectively.
Fake Nationality: The German Dr. Kreutz is played by the American Willie Garson.
Playing Against Type: In "Jacob and Jesse" and "High Hopes", Willie Garson, best known for playing likeable and/or comic characters, plays the former Nazi scientist Dr. Kreutz.
In "Jacob and Jesse", Laurie Murdoch plays one of the Groom Lake researchers while his son Lachlan Murdoch plays the bully Travis.
Keely Purvis played Wendy Rankin in "Acid Tests" while her elder sister Alexandra Purvis played the teenage Lisa Clarke in "Charlie and Lisa".
In the final scene of "Charlie and Lisa", the three-year-old Allie is played by Dakota Fanning's younger sister Elle Fanning.
Science Marches On: In-story example. As time passes, the doctors' reactions to the devices in the Keys' brains change.
What Could Have Been: In January 2003, the month after the miniseries aired, it was announced that Steven Spielberg was hoping to make a second season with Damian Lewis in the lead role. However, nothing ever came of it.
You Look Familiar: Jacob Davich plays Steve, the boy whom Jesse saves from being hit by a car, in "Acid Tests" and a member of the opposing soccer team in "God's Equation".
may tell the player, "If I ever see or hear that you killed a dragon I will look for you, I will find you and I will kill you..."