[Photo provided to China Daily]

As a prestigious French filmmaker, Besson is known for his independent works as well as internationally popular hits such as the Transporter series and Lucy. That year in Shanghai, he presided over the jury of the festival's Golden Goblet Award. Neeson recommended himself, saying he had been part of action-packed movies such as Excalibur (1981) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005), in both of which he fought with swords.

Taken, which cost around $25 million to make, earned more than $145 million worldwide, generating two sequels and lifting Neeson to the ranks of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood.

"If I hadn't been for Shanghai, I might not have got the film," says the star while holding a green mug.

Returning to China's big screen, Neeson will again step into a familiar zone to play an unlikely hero to face off with the villains.

In The Commuter, which also casts Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson and Jonathan Banks, an insurance salesman, played by Neeson, suffers a midlife financial crisis after getting fired. When he, the protagonist, who is also a former policeman, rides a train, during a daily commute that he has taken over the past 10 years, a mysterious woman offers him a $100,000 job to find a passenger, which traps him in an extremely dangerous situation.

"My character is an average guy who gets himself into a situation that the audience would identify with," says Neeson, adding that the story is complex.

"He is certainly not a superhero. He has been sacked in his job. No money is coming. He has got mortgages and his son is going to college, which will cost a lot."

The movie also marks Neeson's fourth collaboration with Spanish director Jaume Collet-Serra, who worked with Neeson in the feature films Unknown (2011), Non-Stop (2014) and Run All Night (2015).