Liam Neeson is getting silly in a new reboot of the Naked Gun series. New cast members have joined the project directed by Akiva Schaffer.
Reboot of the Revival
April 11, 2024: According to The Hollywood Reporter, the police-procedural spoof will be directed by the Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer and produced in part by Seth MacFarlane. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers) wrote the script.
The Naked Gun movies originally starred Leslie Nielsen and were spun off from the one-season TV show Police Squad! Nielsen played Frank Drebin, a self-serious detective who has failed up through the ranks of the titular Police Squad. Once pegged as a dramatic actor, Nielsen pivoted to comedy starting with Airplane! Neeson has also occasionally devolved into self-parody, playing himself in an episode of Atlanta.
A reboot of the series was previously attempted by Office star Ed Helms, but it never made it to the screen. Presumably, the new version has been tailored to Neeson’s particular skill set. This currently untitled story from the files of Police Squad comes to theaters on July 28, 2025.
Pam Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser, reporting for duty
May 1, 2024: The world of Liam Neeson’s Naked Gun reboot is getting fleshed out. Pamela Anderson has signed on to play Frank Drebin’s love interest, played by Priscilla Presley in the original movie. Deadline is reporting that Paul Walter Hauser, who previously worked with Akiva Schaffer on I Think You Should Leave, will be playing Captain Ed Hocken. Hocken was played by George Kennedy in the Naked Gun films and by Alan North on Police Squad!
