Neeson Leads Starry Cast in Naked Gun Revival

For nearly 35 years, the laughably loud “Nielsen-noises” of whizzing clocks and cartoon sound effects have been ominously absent from our lives. But it looks like Frank Drebin is finally coming out of retirement.

In a long-awaited and much-awaited return, Paramount Pictures has officially greenlit the next entry in the Naked Gun film series. The spoof comedy franchise, beloved for its outrageous gags and Willy Wonka-worthy plotlines, is slated to release on August 1, 2025.

The franchise, though, will not be led by Frank Drebin himself. It’s not Leslie Nielsen who will return to the role (rest in peace, 2024) but Liam Neeson instead, playing the late sleuth’s son in what is being billed as a “legacy sequel.”

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! First hit screens in 1988 and has since gone down as one of the most legendary crime comedies of all time. Following the film’s main character, Detective Frank Drebin, as he attempts to prevent a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II during her state visit to the United States, The Naked Gun was a hit with audiences, quickly grossing $78 million on a modest budget.

Nielsen was a natural fit for the role of goofy detective Drebin and went on to star in two sequels: 1991’s Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, where Drebin tries to solve a plot to kidnap a top nuclear scientist, and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult in 1994, in which Drebin (fresh from his triumphant return from retirement) attempts to stop a bomb attack on the Academy Awards.

After the third film, the series fizzled out, with a potential reboot first announced in 2013 by Paramount. That reboot starred The Office star Ed Helms, introduced as “Frank Drebin, no relation.”

Creative Differences Stalled the Legacy Sequel

This Drebin reboot floundered for a time, in part due to creative concerns and conflicts. David Zucker, who produced and directed the first two Naked Gun movies, had originally been set to direct the new Drebin film, but eventually stepped back, commenting to Entertainment Weekly at the time that he believed any reboot would be “inferior” to the original.

After a brief collaboration on the franchise in 2017—during which Zucker oversaw a script for a version that saw Drebin’s son as a secret agent—that film never materialized either.

The project was reignited in 2021, though, when Seth MacFarlane took the reins as director, with Zucker also once again not involved. In stepped Liam Neeson, cast as Frank Drebin Jr., who is a lieutenant in the police department with his father’s share of charm, skills, and clumsiness.

The Reboot Stars Liam Neeson, Paul Walter Hauser, Pamela Anderson, and More

Co-starring alongside Neeson in the blockbuster is Paul Walter Hauser, cast as Captain Ed Hocken, Jr., the son of Drebin Sr.’s old partner. If you’re new to the legend of Hocken, Paul Walter Hauser will be recognizable to you in another superhero project: the new Fantastic Four film Fantastic Four: First Steps, where he plays the role of Mole Man. Pamela Anderson also rounds out the cast, playing sultry femme fatale Beth, whose brother has been murdered and who hires Drebin Jr. to solve the case. If he doesn’t, then the Police Squad will be shut down, including Beth’s mom, who runs the shop.

Additional cast members include Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, and Eddy Yu.

The film’s first teaser trailer was released in April to a lukewarm reception. David Zucker—ever protective of the franchise—commented to TMZ after seeing the trailer, “I feel sorry for myself, but, you know, I can’t unsee it.”

But as terrible as that statement may be, at least Neeson appears to be embracing his new gig. In what looks like a direct parody of his old gruff “particular set of skills” characters in the Taken series, one scene sees him dramatically proclaim, “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back,” before ripping off his attacker’s arms and continuing to use them as appendages to bash his enemies. “A voice in your head saying over and over ‘That was awesome,’” he continues, looking off into the middle distance.

Elsewhere in the trailer, Drebin and Ed Jr. have a rather emotional moment at the site of plaques commemorating their fathers’ contributions to Police Squad. It’s a sweet tip of the cap to the originals, but of course, there’s also plenty of stupid.

In one line, one of Drebin’s suspects jokes he spent 20 years in prison for “manslaughter,” and Drebin dryly replies “Must have been quite the joke,” before the camera cuts to an intertitle card that reads “NO! Man’s laughter.”

In another, Drebin commandeers the bathroom of a coffee shop, finding his way to justify “police business.”

It’s not all cap-doffing tributes to the old characters, though. There are new jokes and characters to explore and play with. In one trailer scene, Neeson plays a deadpan recording for a would-be kidnapper, saying, “We’ve got an eyewitness report of a man matching your description kidnapping a police lieutenant.”

The Set-Up

When the film is released, at least based on the plot points in the trailer, Beth’s brother (murdered and presumably by Drebin) has been found dead, and she has enlisted Drebin’s help in finding the killer. In an interesting reversal on the original Drebin, if he can’t solve the case, then the Police Squad will be shut down, and Beth’s mom, who owns the business, will lose her shop.

The project may have long been in development, but at least things are finally getting off the ground and back in action. And after years of soundstage delays and development onsets, it seems like fans have a release date to keep an eye on, and some promising trailers to tide them over.

The humor is broad and will not be for everyone (nobody said that these films were “good”), but as was the case with the originals, a lot of laughs come from just how ludicrous everything is. And after what looks to be a promising first taste, that hasn’t changed.

So we’re closer than ever before. If all goes to plan (in true Drebin fashion, which means nothing), the next chapter of The Naked Gun will finally arrive in 2025, and hopefully by then it will be just in time for summer.