The Naked Gun | July 18, 2025 | Liam Neeson stars, Akiva Schaffer directs

[Eric the Minion]

https://deadline.com/2022/10/naked-gun-paramount-liam-neeson-lonely-islands-akiva-schaffer-1235144065/

 

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EXCLUSIVE: One of Hollywood’s classic slapstick comedy franchises is looking to make its way back to the big screens as sources tell Deadline that Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a new Naked Gun reboot. Liam Neeson is in negotiations to star and Akiva Schaffer set to direct.

 

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who just worked with Schaffer on the Emmy-winning Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers pic, also closed a deal to pen the script. Mark Hentemann & Alec Sulkin wrote the previous draft. Schaffer will also exec produce.

 

Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via their company Fuzzy Door. Plot details are being kept under wraps except that Neeson may be playing the son of officer Frank Derbin instead of stepping into the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen.

 

[lorddemaxus]

I saw the headline on twitter and thought it said Leslie Nielsen was coming back for a second lmao. Neeson's a pretty interesting choice but fun just because it's Neeson in a comedic role.

[TheDude391]

Neeson is great casting but I don't think you can replicate what made Naked Gun work so well. Lightning in a bottle.

[Hatebox]

This probably don’t be very good but they’re at least smart enough to cast a serious actor like neeson for the lead, as Nielsen was. Having a comedy actor like Ferrell would have been awful. 

[kayumanggi]

JULY 15, 2025

 

 

[kayumanggi]

THR says it's JULY 28 which is a Monday haha. I think it's actually JULY 18th.

 

 

[kayumanggi]

Yup. JULY 18, it is.

 

 

[Cmasterclay]

Liam Neeson....Leslie Nielsen......if you say them fast enough, enough times, they are the same name.

[dudalb]

On 10/13/2022 at 9:38 PM, TheDude391 said:

Neeson is great casting but I don't think you can replicate what made Naked Gun work so well. Lightning in a bottle.

Neeson is a  great actor, but I really can't see him as the type who can pull this role off. Comedy is utterly dependent on right casting. You can  have less then perfect casting in a drama and maybe survive, but not in a comedy.

Edited February 28 by dudalb

[grim22]

Obviously OJ Simpson will need to return.

[CoolioD1]

eh, I like a couple movies Akiva has directed but I don't know about this one. Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin is the kind of thing that makes you think "oh that's fun casting" when you hear it but i wouldn't be shocked if he's just totally flat in the part.

[grim22]

1 minute ago, CoolioD1 said:

eh, I like a couple movies Akiva has directed but I don't know about this one. Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin is the kind of thing that makes you think "oh that's fun casting" when you hear it but i wouldn't be shocked if he's just totally flat in the part.

Akiva's style suits pretty much just Andy Samberg and almost no one else (maybe Michael Bolton who also just *got* what they were going for). Getting to that Lonely Island wavelength will be the challenge for Neeson for sure.

[eddyxx]

3 hours ago, grim22 said:

Akiva's style suits pretty much just Andy Samberg and almost no one else (maybe Michael Bolton who also just *got* what they were going for). Getting to that Lonely Island wavelength will be the challenge for Neeson for sure.

Justin Timberlake did good in his sketches.

[George Parr]

20 hours ago, dudalb said:

Neeson is a  great actor, but I really can't see him as the type who can pull this role off. Comedy is utterly dependent on right casting. You can  have less then perfect casting in a drama and maybe survive, but not in a comedy.

Not saying that this will definately work, but Naked Gun (and Airplane for that matter) worked because they used serious actors for the main roles, not actors people would associate with comedies.

 

Leslie Nielsen didn't do comedy prior to Airplane / Police Squad / Naked Gun, they are what turned him into a comedic actor. Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, George Kennedy, none of them were known for their comedies prior zo Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker.

 

There are more recent examples as well. Like Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder. A role that goes completely against everything else he had done.

 

It can easily fail, put I'd rather they go with someone you wouldn't expect it from, than someone known for these sort of roles.

[AMCTheater2000]

 

[grim22]

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[kayumanggi]

 

[Flopped]

Anderson is kind of an inspired choice. Let's see if she can be funny. It's mostly about playing it straight anyway. 

[Eric the Minion]

On 2/28/2024 at 9:07 PM, grim22 said:

Obviously OJ Simpson will need to return.

I agree. Wonder what he’s been up to lately.

[filmlover]

If this movie has a Nordberg equivalent I hope they cast another former NFL player. Gotta keep a tradition going!