Paramount’s ‘Naked Gun’ Reboot Is Happening – Will Liam Neeson Be ‘Taken’ With The Lead Role?
From Nielsen to…Neeson?
Paramount Pictures has greenlit a reboot of the Naked Gun franchise, with Akiva Schaffer set to direct and executive produce, along with Seth MacFarlane, and Variety reports that the two are interested in having Liam Neeson star in the project.
Schaffer, who is a member of the Lonely Island comedy trio, penned the screenplay with Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but it is speculated that Neeson might be playing the son of Detective Frank Drebin instead of stepping into the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen.
Neeson got everyone online talking about reviving the ’80s comedy earlier this year, telling People TV that McFarlane and Paramount had been pursuing him to resurrect the Naked Gun films. The actor has yet to sign on the dotted line, though.
The original Naked Gun movies were a trilogy from the famous Zucker Abrahams and Zucker producing company. The movies starred Leslie Nielsen as Franklin “Frank” Drebin, the straight man in a goofy parody of police procedurals. The first film was based on a television series – 1982’s Police Squad! – which was canceled after six episodes.
The 1988 movie The Naked Gun: From the Files of a Police Squad was a critical and commercial smash, and spawned two sequels: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear in 1991, and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, which came out in 1994. The sequels were also successful at the box office.
Paramount has been attempting to revive the franchise since 2013. The first reboot attempt would have featured Ed Helms as Frank Drebin, but that version eventually fell apart. In early 2021, McFarlane announced he had been hired to rework the film.
Neeson is known more for his action roles, but has appeared in MacFarlane projects like Ted 2. Variety reports that the Family Guy creator and Ted director and Neeson still have strong ties, and when MacFarlane came to him with the idea, Neeson committed to star.
The production timeline and a release date for the film are currently unknown.
