Liam Neeson Revives The Naked Gun in Legacy Sequel

The inimitable sound of slapstick sleuthing is returning to cinema in 2025. A sequel to The Naked Gun is officially on the way. The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Return of the Naked Gun will be a legacy sequel to the original 1988 spoof comedy, according to Deadline. Unlike its predecessors, the movie will not star Leslie Nielsen, who made a name for himself as bumbling detective Frank Drebin in the franchise. The role will be filled by Liam Neeson, who plays Drebin’s son in the upcoming comedy, as his character gets a similar badge to wear.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was a surprise hit when it first came out in 1988. The slapstick parody had a truly bonkers premise that somehow worked. Nielsen’s Detective Frank Drebin is out to stop an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II during her state visit to the US. The character returned for two sequels due to the popularity of the original. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear was released in 1991, and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult in 1994. The second film featured another sabotage plot, this time to kidnap a top nuclear scientist. Drebin’s final case to date took place on his return from retirement, with a plot to blow up the Academy Awards with a nuclear missile.

Unfortunately, 1994’s The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult proved to be the end of the road for the franchise, with the bumbling detective not returning for another outing. In 2013, Paramount was looking to reboot the series with The Office’s Ed Helms signed up to play “Frank Drebin, no relation”. The film never got off the ground, and David Zucker, one of the film’s original producers and director of the first two films, kept his distance from the reboot. Zucker said in 2016 that no amount of time or money could make a modern Naked Gun film better than the original and that it was “inferior”. He did return to work on a Drebin reboot with the character’s son playing a key role, but that did not make it to the screen either.

The project resurfaced again in 2021, with Seth MacFarlane in the director’s chair, and did not require Zucker’s involvement. This is when Liam Neeson first got involved. Neeson has now been signed up to star in the new film as Frank Drebin Jr., carrying on the comedic crime-solving work of his father in the role of Police Lieutenant.

Another Starring Role and Heirs to Drebin

Paul Walter Hauser will join Neeson in the new comedy. He will be taking on the role of Captain Ed Hocken, Jr. The character was the partner of Drebin Sr, and Hauser takes up the mantle for the rebooted series. Fans might know Hauser for his upcoming role in Fantastic Four: First Steps as the Mole Man. Pamela Anderson plays the femme fatale Beth, whose brother has been murdered. As a key part of the mystery of the film, Drebin is going to be called upon to solve the crime. If he fails, the film will see the end of the Police Squad. The other cast members in the film include Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, and Eddy Yu.

The first teaser trailer was released in April and met a tepid response. David Zucker, always keen to protect the memory of the original trilogy, spoke with TMZ after the trailer was released to express regret at having seen it. “I can’t unsee it,” he claimed. However, fans of the franchise can take heart from certain parts of the trailer. It seems like Neeson is going to be stepping into Nielsen’s shoes and playing it for all the screwball laughs that the comedy deserves. Neeson parodies his “particular set of skills” from the Taken franchise in one scene. He dramatically proclaims, “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back,” before ripping the arms off his attacker and using them to bludgeon other people. He then concludes the recap, “A voice in your head saying over and over, ‘That was awesome.’”

The film also shows more tender moments, with Drebin and Ed Jr. getting emotional while looking at plaques of their respective fathers’ names at one point. It also pays tribute to the original films in a simple but fun way. The film will be a true family affair, as Frank and Ed Jr. will be carrying the Police Squad legacy forward.

On the more ridiculous end of the spectrum, The Naked Gun 2025 will be what most fans will remember from the films. Drebin Jr. is called on to help Beth solve the murder of her brother, or the Police Squad will be shut down. He tries to find a prime suspect, but when he is told that the man has just come out of 20 years for “man’s laughter,” Drebin Jr. replies with a perfectly deadpan, “Must have been quite the joke.” Frank and Ed Jr. also have a scene of commandeering a coffee shop bathroom for “police business,” in a typically asinine move.

Not to be deterred by a lack of success in the past, The Naked Gun: The Return of the Naked Gun is preparing for a fresh start. It’s a return to a certain type of humor that is as broad as it is pun-heavy and, frankly, ridiculous. While that might not be to everyone’s taste, it was part of the charm of the original series. If The Naked Gun 2025 can recreate that style of comedy as well as the trailer promises, then summer 2025 could not come at a better time.