Liam Neeson is flexing his funny bone as Lt Frank Drebin Jr in the first official teaser trailer for "The Naked Gun," a reboot of the popular film franchise.
"Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world!" Paramount Pictures says in its logline for the new film.
"Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) follows in his father's footsteps in 'The Naked Gun,' directed by Akiva Schaffer ('Saturday Night Live,' 'Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping') and from producer Seth MacFarlane ('Ted,' 'Family Guy.')
"Joining the case are cast Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, with Danny Huston."
"The Naked Gun" is set to arrive in theaters on August 1.
You can watch Liam Neeson in the first official teaser trailer for "The Naked Gun" here:
The first official teaser trailer for "The Naked Gun" was unveiled on Thursday, April 3 at CinemaCon, the annual event for exhibitors and Hollywood studios.
Attendees were also treated to some extended footage of the reboot.
According to The Hollywood Reporter: "'Naked Gun’s' footage teases a tone that should please fans of the original series, including a moment in which Neeson beats a man with his own dismembered arms.
"There are also scenes suggesting sexual activity between Neeson and Pamela Anderson‘s character that are not quite what they seem.
"Another memorable moment references Nordberg, the role played in the original movies by O.J. Simpson."
The Hollywood Reporter adds: "In one scene, Neeson interrogates a character played by Busta Rhymes.
"'It says you’ve served 20 years for man’s laughter,' the detective says. 'Must have been quite the joke.'"
Poster for "The Naked Gun" starring Liam Neeson.
Inspired by the 1982 television series "Police Squad!," the "Naked Gun" film series consists of three installments - "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" (1988), "The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear" (1991), and "Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult." (1994).
Leslie Nielsen starred as the lovable but incompetent Detective Frank Drebin throughout the franchise.
A reboot of the beloved series has been in the works for years. In 2009, it was reported that Nielsen was set to star in a fourth installment, but the project was never realized. Nielsen died in 2010, aged 84.
Later, in 2013, Variety reported that Ed Helms was set to star in a "Naked Gun" reboot, with a working title later revealed to have been "Episode IV: A New Hope." Helms later confirmed in 2017 that the script was being rewritten and the plot was being reworked.
In 2021, it was announced that Seth MacFarlane, who had previously expressed interest in casting Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr, had been hired to further develop the project.
Speaking with "People (the TV show!)" in 2021, Neeson revealed: "I've been approached by Seth McFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the 'Naked Gun' films."
He joked: "It'll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don't know."
Later, in 2022, Deadline reported that plot details for the reboot were being kept under wraps "except that Neeson might be playing the son of Detective Frank Drebin instead of stepping into the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen."
Last year, Variety reported that Neeson's "Naked Gun" reboot was moving forward with Paramount, with a release date slated for July 18, 2024.
Liam Neeson. (RollingNews.ie)
Funny man Liam Neeson
Neeson is certainly known for action films, perhaps the most famous being the "Taken" series. However, the Co Antrim native has masterfully used his tough-guy film persona to inform several hilarious comedic bits over the years.
In 2011, he played himself in the Ricky Gervais series "Life's Too Short," where he was looking to try his hand at improvisational comedy:
More recently, he appeared in "Ted 2" - directed, written, produced, and starring MacFarlane - apparently concerned about the concept of "Trix are for kids:"
Comments