Classic Comedy Franchise Gets New Life in Naked Gun

In 2025, an odd duck detective is returning to the big screen.

The franchise that made slapstick crime solving a comedy mainstay is being resurrected with the addition of Liam Neeson as the lead. The Naked Gun: Funny or Die? (working title) It is an upcoming spoof comedy film and a “legacy sequel” to the Naked Gun franchise. Neeson will be taking on the role of Frank Drebin’s son in a title release set for August 1, 2025.

The original Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! The film was released in 1988. This cult-classic crime-comedy was the first to star Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin. Drebin’s quest to stop an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II while she visits the U.S. is one for the books. The film proved a success, and after two sequels, Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult in 1991 and 1994, respectively, The Naked Gun films went on to become fan-favorite spoofs.

The series floundered after the third entry. In 2013, it was reported that Paramount was in early talks to reboot the franchise and cast The Office star Ed Helms as “Frank Drebin, no relation.” Since neither Nielsen nor Zucker wanted to be associated with a Drebin-less film, the proposed remake eventually failed to materialize.

Producer and writer David Zucker refused to be involved with any film that didn’t star Nielsen and Drebin. In 2017, Zucker collaborated with Seth MacFarlane to work on the next Naked Gun film, in which Drebin’s son was a secret agent. But those plans quickly stalled.

In 2021, Seth MacFarlane took the helm of a full-blown Naked Gun reboot, sans Zucker. The filmmakers cast Liam Neeson as Drebin Jr., a police lieutenant like his father.

Neeson’s Costars

Paul Walter Hauser will also be starring in the 2025 film as Captain Ed Hocken, Jr., Drebin Sr.’s long-time sidekick and investigator. Hocken is played by Ed O’Neill in the original series. Fans may recognize Hauser from his upcoming role as Mole Man in the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pamela Anderson will also star as Beth, a femme fatale who was engaged to the film’s victim; her brother is the brother who gets murdered, the central event that kicks off the film. The cast will also include Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, and Eddy Yu.

Film Fans Had Mixed Reactions to Teaser Trailer

The film’s first teaser dropped in April and drew mixed reactions from fans. Zucker has expressed his disdain for the project, even though his name and likeness were not used in the film or the casting process.

David Zucker, when asked about the film, told TMZ, “I can’t unsee it” after watching the teaser. So you know it’s bad. But some fans have found something to celebrate in the trailer. In it, Neeson parodies his serious persona, including a play on his “particular set of skills” character from the Taken films. At one point, Neeson declares, “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back,” only to rip off an assailant’s arms and use them as weapons. “A voice in your head saying over and over ‘That was awesome,’” he says to the camera.

Fans got some touching homage to the franchise’s history, too. Drebin Jr. and Ed Jr. cry together in front of plaques commemorating their fathers’ past adventures.

Amid these brief moments of sincerity, you’ve also got typical Naked Gun humor. The film’s main plot is about Beth trying to get Drebin Jr. to help her solve her brother’s murder before Police Squad is shut down. When one of the film’s baddies insists he spent 20 years in prison for “man’s laughter,” Drebin’s character responds that it had to be “manslaughter” if he was in for two decades, “Must have been quite the joke.”

The jokes from the trailer continue to spoof the old material while reworking it for a new generation. The future detective is shown commandeering a coffee shop bathroom for “police business.” He walks away from the scene only to drop deadpan one-liners about his experience with the stall he so rudely occupied. Neeson appears to be ready to throw himself fully into the badge-wearing profession.

Mindless Comedy Is Coming Back

Is it all jokes? No, but if the trailer is anything to go by, the film is happy to be broadly silly and pun-filled, in the best way. And a summer of lazy, funny fun is just what the doctor ordered.