“The Naked Gun”
Actor Liam Neeson succeeds Leslie Nielsen
Liam Neeson (l.) will take on the role of the legendary Leslie Nielsen.
© imago images/Oscar Gonzalez / imago/Pond5 Images
Now it’s dry: Liam Neeson is stepping into Leslie Nielsen’s shoes and taking over in the “The Naked Gun” reboot.
The first rumors appeared as early as 2021: Will action star Liam Neeson (71) actually take on the lead role in a planned “The Naked Gun” reboot and thus replace the legendary Leslie Nielsen (1926-2010)? Now the whole project is obviously more than a done deal: There is already a start date: As the well-informed industry magazine “Variety” reports, among others, the new edition of the slapstick comedy from Paramount Pictures will be released in theaters on July 18, 2025 – with Neeson.
The film’s executive producer will be actor and filmmaker Seth MacFarlane (50). The “Family Guy” creator and Neeson have already worked together in the comedy western “A Million Ways To Die In The West”. MacFarlane confirmed preparations for “The Naked Gun” back in January explained in an interview with “Collider”that the screenwriters Dan Gregor (39) and Doug Mand (42) did a “damn good job”. However, he did not confirm Neeson at the time. Filmmaker Akiva Schaffer (46), a member of the comedy troupe The Lonely Island, will sit in the director’s chair.
Is Liam Neeson playing Frank Drebin’s son?
Nothing really is known about the plot yet. However, industry magazines speculate that it is not a classic new edition, but rather a sequel. Neeson will most likely not be seen as Lieutenant Frank Drebin, but as his son.
The previous “Naked Gun” cinema franchise consists of three films: “The Naked Gun” (1988), “The Naked Gun 2½” (1991) and the last film to date, “The Naked Gun 33⅓” (1994). The films emerged from the television series “The Naked Gun” (originally “Police Squad”), which was broadcast in six parts in 1984 on the US channel ABC. “The Naked Gun” is considered the highlight of the work of the legendary slapstick filmmaker trio ZAZ. This consisted of Jim Abrahams (79, “Hot Shots!”) and the brothers David (76, “Scary Movie”) and Jerry Zucker (73, “Rat Race”), who concentrated on their own projects from the 90s onwards.