Liam Neeson War Of The Worlds

Liam Neeson War Of The Worlds, Neeson 'Intimidated' By War Of The Worlds. Liam Neeson has revealed how he was intimidated by the prospect of narrating and starring in Jeff Wayne's refreshed musical version of The War Of The Worlds.

The actor takes over from late Hollywood legend Richard Burton, whose voice and holographic image have been the centrepiece of the production since 2006.

The show brings to life the 1978 concept album, written by Jeff Wayne, which retells the story by HG Wells.

Neeson's 3D hologram character, the journalist George Herbert, will appear on stage and interact with the other actors.

He told Sky News the role was a challenging one, as Burton left some big shoes to fill.

"It is legendary and I was a little intimidated when Jeff approached me about narrating this and performing in this - and I did have to concentrate very heavily on putting Richard Burton out of my mind," he said.

Messing with a classic is never easy but that is what musical writer Jeff Wayne has done in reworking the soundtrack and storyline of the iconic show.

Wayne said replacing Burton provided the ideal time to make other changes to the format.

"It came from what is now approaching five years of touring our arena production and in each production we tried to move the story along.

"We came to the realisation that Richard's performance was finite.

"The only way to open up the character and the main storyline was to start again in a way, with scripting and characterisations," Wayne said.

HG Wells' original 1898 novel tells the story of an unnamed narrator, who travels through the suburbs of London during an alien invasion.

Wayne said the new production, which begins touring in late 2012, remains as faithful as ever to the original story.

"I would like to think it has always been a true interpretation of what HG authored.

"It is a very dark, Victorian tale and a very visionary one. Many of the themes and characters I think even relate to today," he said.

For Liam Neeson, whose previous sci-fi blockbusters include Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace, the filming process was reminiscent of past projects but with an added dimension.

"It was a very exciting process actually. I have done a lot of work before on films with blue screens and green screens but this was something entirely different - and yet similar," he said.

Source:yahoo