The world’s most incompetent detective is back – or at least, his equally ill-equipped son is.
Paramount Pictures has dropped the full trailer for The Naked Gun, a reboot of the cult classic slapstick franchise, this time starring Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr.
Now that we’ve seen some footage from the upcoming film, Neeson looks like the perfect fit for the role – not least because his name sounds like what your mum would say when trying to remember ‘Leslie Nielsen’.
Directed by Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers) and produced by comedy titan Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted), the film is due to hit cinemas on 21 August 2025.
Reviving the spirit of the original trilogy and its progenitor TV series Police Squad!, the film follows Drebin Jr. as he stumbles his way through a globe-threatening conspiracy, picking up a cast of misfits and suspects along the way.
The supporting cast includes Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, Eddie Yu and Danny Huston.
Pamela Anderson features prominently in the new trailer as Beth, a femme fatale who informs Drebin, ‘I think someone murdered my brother,’ before taking his invitation to ‘please, take a chair’ a bit too literally.
Elsewhere, Busta Rhymes is seen being read a rap sheet stating he ‘served 20 years for man’s laughter,’ to which Drebin responds, ‘Must have been quite the joke.’
Fans of the original will spot callbacks to classic characters – including a nod to Nordberg, previously portrayed by O.J. Simpson – and the sort of outrageous sight gags and double entendres that helped define the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker brand of parody.
The new film comes from the writing team of Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who collaborated with Schaffer on the Emmy-winning Chip ’n Dale reboot for Disney+.
The creative team also includes executive producers Daniel M. Stillman, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary, and Erica Huggins.
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While the franchise’s previous star, the late Leslie Nielsen, left behind a large comedic footprint, Neeson seems game to carry the torch – playing it all deadly serious amid the nonsense, just as Nielsen once did.
A joint production between Paramount Pictures, Domain Entertainment and Fuzzy Door Productions, The Naked Gun is currently unrated and subject to final credits.
The Naked Gun: all the details
- Title: The Naked Gun
- Director: Akiva Schaffer
- Writers: Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Akiva Schaffer
- Producers: Seth MacFarlane, Erica Huggins (p.g.a)
- Executive Producers: Daniel M. Stillman, Akiva Schaffer, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, Andrew Lary
- Cast: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, Danny Huston
- Release Date (US): 1 August 2025
- Rating: Not yet rated
- Studio: Paramount Pictures in association with Domain Entertainment and Fuzzy Door Productions
The Naked Gun is based on the original film series and the television show Police Squad! created by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. The 1988 original spawned two sequels and a devoted cult following.
