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Liam Neeson stars as Frank Drebin Jr in the new The Naked Gun film – and the first teaser trailer has gone down well.

When Liam Neeson first revealed that he was in line to head up a new take on The Naked Gun he seemed resigned to the fact that it could go badly, stating back in 2021 that “It’ll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don’t know.”

Here in 2025, we’re not too far from finding out if that’s the case given that Neeson’s new spin on the beloved cop spoof series – made famous by the late Leslie Nielsen’s wonderful comic talents – is just a few months away. 2025’s The Naked Gun is headed to cinemas on August 1st, courtesy of Paramount.

The studio’s marketing team have even got in on the fun sense of faux doomed resignation...

If you were to compile a list of the best parody movies ever made, you would be hard pressed to find one that doesn't include "The Naked Gun" on it. The hilarious riff on procedural cop shows initially started out as "Police Squad!," a hilarious six-episode television comedy series from David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker whose only crime was being ahead of its time. Although the triage had no such luck making it play to audiences on the small screen, the short-lived series proved to be incredibly successful in movie theaters in the form of 1988's "The Naked Gun," which brought back Leslie Nielsen to reprise his role as the bumbling Detective Lt. Frank Drebin.

The David Zucker-directed film not only jumpstarted Nielsen's comedy career after his memorable role in "Airplane!," but it also led to two sequels: "The Naked Gun 2 ½: The Smell of Fear...

Liam Neeson is an actor with a very particular set of skills. In the last decade and a half, that has primarily been looking gruff, talking smack, and kicking ass in a slew of geriaction films, from the Taken franchise to The Grey to The Commuter and, most recently, In The Land Of Saints And Sinners. But in The Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer's long-gestating, finally-nearly-here reboot of The Naked Gun, Neeson is set to show off a new skill only previously hinted at in guest spots on the likes of Life’s Too Short and Derry Girls — comedy. And if the first trailer for the movie is anything to go by, then the only thing Neeson's Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. is going to be killing here is us... because we might just die laughing. Check it out below;

Okay, hands up: who had 'Liam Neeson shivving baddies with...

Let’s be honest, friends—comedy doesn’t get much better than Leslie Nielsen with a badge and a straight face. The Naked Gun franchise isn’t just funny; it’s the kind of funny that has you pausing the movie because you’re laughing too hard to catch the next joke.

Nielsen’s portrayal of Lieutenant Frank Drebin redefined parody cinema forever, creating a blueprint for absurdist humor that countless films have tried (and mostly failed) to replicate.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) Poster | Credits: Paramount Pictures

These movies strike that perfect balance where the jokes come so fast you’ll miss half of them on your first viewing. That’s right—these films aren’t just good for a laugh; they’re comedic institutions that reward repeat viewings with hidden gags you somehow missed the first dozen times.

As we prepare ourselves for the upcoming revival,...

Comedian Leslie Nielsen brought so much delight and laughter to our lives with his works not only in comedy films but also in action, drama, and even fantasy movies. He had a career spanning over six decades and a legacy that still lives to this day. Liam Neeson’s upcoming film, The Naked Gun, is indeed a great tribute to the late star.

The loss of Nielsen left a massive dent in the Hollywood industry. He’s notably known for his deadpan comedy roles, and fans would agree that no one can do it like Nielsen.

Leslie Nielsen in The Naked Gun / Credits: Paramount Pictures Remembering Leslie Nielsen, the original Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun

Following the release of Liam Neeson’s The Naked Gun official teaser trailer, fans remember the late Leslie Nielsen who starred in the original franchise. He portrayed Lieutenant Frank Drebin in three movie installments and one television series.

Actor Liam Neeson stars in a reboot of the comedy feature “The Naked Gun”, directed by Akiva Schaffer, releasing August 1, 2025 in theaters:

The original "The Naked Gun" movie aka "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!", is the 1988 'crime comedy' feature directed by David Zucker starring Leslie Nielsen as bumbling police lieutenant 'Frank Drebin'...

...featuring dead pan slapstick comedy including "Mad" magazine type, visual and verbal, puns and gags.

The film is based on the character portrayed by Nielsen in the TV series "Police Squad!" (1982).

"The Naked Gun" was a critical and commercial success, followed by sequels: "The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear" (1991) and "Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult" (1994).

Click the images to enlarge...

To kickstart their very Mission: Impossible focused CinemaCon presentation, Paramount first debuted the official trailer for their upcoming action-comedy The Naked Gun, a movie they are cheekily describing as "The single most important Naked Gun movie since the other Naked Gun movies."

It's a short teaser, featuring leading man Liam Neeson, as he intervenes during a bank heist, but you're going to have to just watch it to believe it. We also learn that he's playing Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen's Lt. Frank Drebin, who the film will honor and it seems like they'll do it in typical Naked Gun fashion.

The film will provide some much-needed humor to an action-packed summer, opening in the wake of Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps and opposite the animated sequel The Bad Guys 2 and the body horror film Together. It's likely Fantastic Four will repeat as the box office champ,...

While most legacy sequels to beloved movies find a way to incorporate original cast members, that was unlikely to happen in Akiva Schaffer’s reboot of The Naked Gun.

Leslie Nielsen, who played Lt. Frank Drebin, passed away in 2010. George Kennedy, aka Captain Ed Hocken, died in 2016. And since Priscilla Presley has publicly claimed that she would turn down any invitations to return to the franchise, that really only left O.J. Simpson.

Although he died shortly before filming began, there was seemingly no attempt to involve Simpson in the project, for obvious reasons. But that doesn’t mean that the movie won’t include some references to the notorious accused murderer.

The first teaser trailer for 2025’s The Naked Gun just dropped. It finds Liam Neeson’s Frank Drebin (the son of Nielson’s character) brutalizing a gang of bank robbers while improbably dressed as a schoolgirl, complete with a Mission: Impossible-style rubber mask.

Liam Neeson plays Frank in The Naked Gun from Paramount Pictures. Copyright © 2025 Paramount Pictures. Hold onto your funny bones, because one of cinema’s most beloved comedy franchises is making its long-awaited return! That’s right, The Naked Gun is back, and it’s bringing a fresh dose of absurdity to the big screen on August 1. If you’ve been craving over-the-top humor and chaotic adventures, this reboot is about to deliver everything you’ve been missing. Taking on the mantle of Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. is none other than Liam Neeson, proving once again that his talents know no bounds. No one could truly replace the hilariously hapless Leslie Nielsen, who brought the original Frank Drebin to life, but Neeson’s comedic chops and charm are bound to shine as he steps into those iconic (and oversized) shoes. The story will follow Drebin Jr. as he leads Police Squad...

At the start of a surprise appearance at CinemaCon this morning, Tom Cruise took a moment to honor his Top Gun co-star, the late Val Kilmer. Kilmer passed away earlier this week at age 65, after battling pneumonia.

Before asking the audience to “take a moment,” Cruise, hand on heart, said, “I’d like to honor a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I really can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how much I thought of him as a human being, how honored I was when he joined Top Gun and came back for Top Gun: Maverick. I think it would be great if we could all just take a moment and think about all the wonderful times we had with him. Would you all mind doing that? Let’s just take a moment.” With that, the Colosseum went silent as Cruise bowed his head. He concluded,...

It’s been a long time, Tom Cruise. As CinemaCon heads into its final day, attendees were treated to a visit from one of global exhibition’s most beloved stars. Post Covid, it’s the first time that Cruise has stepped on stage at Caesars Palace at the Colosseum. Even during the year when Top Gun: Maverick was shown off to exhibs, he wasn’t in attendance because he was shooting Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning and Final Reckoning. In those years, Cruise has sent video messages to CinemaCon attendees. That said, Cruise has made surprise appearances at CineEurope in Barcelona post-pandemic.

Before showing off a piece of footage, Cruise asked the room to take a moment and remember his dear friend and Top Gun 2 Ice Man — Val Kilmer, who died two days ago.

The Paramount/Skydance actioner directed by Christopher McQuarrie is billed as the epic finale to a...

The teaser trailer for The Naked Gun reboot starring Liam Neeson sees his character, Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., letting it all hang out while attempting to stop a bank robbery. Watch it below.

Elsewhere in the trailer, we see Neeson and Capt. Ed Hocken (Paul Walter Hauser) paying tribute to their respective fathers, Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) and Cpt. Ed Hocken (George Kennedy). There’s also a nod to the real-life crimes of O.J. Simpson, with his character’s son gazing at a photo and declining to remember him fondly.

“Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world!” reads the official logline. Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. follows in his father’s footsteps in The Naked Gun.”

Out in theaters on August 1st, the film was directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, who co-wrote the script with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.

"Who are you?!" "Frank Drebin - Police Squad. The new version." Woop! Woop! Paramount has unveiled a hilarious teaser trailer for their new update of The Naked Gun, a comedy franchise involving a buffoon police officer and his just as goofy colleagues on the Police Squad. This new remake / reboot is directed by Lonely Island mastermind Akiva Schaffer, who also made the hilarious movies Hot Rod, The Watch, and Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers before this. It's the single most important Naked Gun movie since the other Naked Gun movies. Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world! Liam Neeson stars in this as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of the original Frank Drebin, played by comedian Leslie Nielsen. Joining the case are Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Cch Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, with Danny Huston.

Glen Powell and director Edgar Wright were in town today for Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation which featured the first footage from Edgar Wright’s Stephen King adaptation The Running Man.

Co-stars Josh Brolin and Colman Domingo were also in tow.

The Running Man is set in an oppressive future where the government controls the media. The story follows Ben Richards (Powell) as he volunteers to participate in a deadly game show, which will see him hunted by professional killers over 30 days. Should he survive, he’ll win a cash prize that will help save his sick child and lift his family out of a horrid living situation.

“We literally just finished shooting less than a week ago,” said Wright.

Powell said, “Probably what I get for asking Tom Cruise for advice on using a stunt double… Now that I’ve gone through fire, I can say I’ve never worked...

While audiences might be getting sick of sequels, remakes, and reboots, there's at least one coming to theaters this summer that we're actually looking forward to. "The Naked Gun" franchise is being revived with Liam Neeson taking on the role of Frank Debin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen's Detective Frank Drebin from the original "Naked Gun" spoof trilogy of films that spawned from the short-lived comedy series "Police Squad!"

While reviving old comedy franchises can be rather risky, "The Naked Gun" comes with a promising filmmaker behind the camera, one who hasn't found much box office success but has consistently delivered some of the greatest comedies of the 21st century. Akiva Shaffer, one-third of the groundbreaking "Saturday Night Live" comedy group known as The Lonely Island, who ushered in the era of the "SNL Digital Short," is directing the film, having previously been at helm of "Hot Rod" (which...

Paramount co-ceo and head of Paramount Pictures, Brian Robbins, acknowledged to a big CinemaCon crowd that it may be an odd time for the company right now, but Par’s slate remains terrific.

“In all seriousness, I’m excited to be back at CinemaCon, and incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished at Paramount Pictures in the midst of all the noise going on at our parent company. We have a terrific slate that our team has put together, and I can’t wait to share that with you,” he told theater owners at the annual Las Vegas showcase.

Paramount Global is in the midst of a complicated merger with Skydance that’s taking longer than anticipated. It’s likely to get done but is now in regulatory limbo amid the Trump administration’s harsh stance on the media, seconded by his FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr.

“We do live in complicated times,...

The Akiva Schaffer-directed reboot of Naked Gun, starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson just made a big splash at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, with audiences being given their first glimpse at the long awaited comedy reboot. While most of these trailers are shown behind closed-doors, Paramount decided to treat fans to a public first look at the highly anticipated fourth film online. Neeson will take on the role of Detective Frank Drebin, originally played by Leslie Nielsen. The cast also includes the likes of Cody Rhodes, Liza Kozhy, Cch Pounder, Busta Rhymes,Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston.

The footage sees a bank robbery in progress when a little girl walks in on the dangerous heist. Unbeknownst to these would-be crooks, this is none-other than Frank Drebin Jr. in disguise, and he quickly takes the criminals down with a deadly lolipop. The teaser ends with Drebin paying tribute to his father,...

Only one man has the particular set of skills to lead the new The Naked Gun movie. Liam Neeson succeeds Leslie Nielsen as Lt. Frank Drebin in the first trailer for the hotly-anticipated action comedy reboot.

The official teaser trailer for the new The Naked Gun begins with Drebin foiling a bank robbery after sneaking into the building disguised as a schoolgirl licking a lollypop. After taking care of the robbers, one of the hostages asks who he is, with Neeson's character responding, "Frank Drebin, Police Squad." He then breaks the fourth wall by looking directly at the camera and uttering, "The new version." The teaser then confirms that it will actually be a legacy sequel to the original film trilogy, with Neeson and Paul Walter Hauser playing the similarly named sons of Nielsen's Frank Drebin and George Kennedy's Captain Ed Hocken, respectively. The trailer even manages to...

Paramount jump-started its CinemaCon presentation Thursday by dropping the first teaser trailer for The Naked Gun, the reboot of the cop-spoof franchise. Watch it above. The studio rolls out the pic August 1 in theaters.

Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s Naked Gun/Police Squad! character, who is following in his father’s footsteps. Akiva Schaffer directs and Seth MacFarlane produces.

The cast includes Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser (as the son of George Kennedy’s Captain Ed Hocken from The Naked Gun), Cch Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy and Eddie Yu, with Danny Huston.

The trailer features Drebin foiling a bank robbery after sneaking into the scene disguised as a schoolgirl licking a lollipop. After dispatching the bad guys, he’s asked who he is. “Frank Drebin, Police Squad,” he responds.

Hollywood icon and action movie superstar Liam Neeson uses his particular set of skills and brings the laughs in the long-awaited reboot of The Naked Gun, which has now arrived at CinemaCon. After debuting the official trailer at the convention, it has been released online, and it looks absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible.

Neeson stars as Frank Drebin Jr. in the first trailer for The Naked Gun, a long-awaited sequel to the iconic comedy franchise. Check out the trailer below:

Related: 'Naked Gun' Star Shares How Liam Neeson Made Him Break Character

Beginning first as the short-lived series Police Squad! in 1982, The Naked Gun went on to spawn a trilogy of movies with Leslie Nielson’s "detective with a heart of gold and a brain of wood,” Frank Drebin at their center. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was released in 1988 and led to two...

This is truly going to be a good year, as Paramount’s new Naked Gun movie debuted its first teaser trailer.

The studio shared the video online just before the start of its CinemaCon presentation Thursday, where extended footage was revealed to huge laughs and resounding applause. The comedy stars Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Police Squad legend Frank Drebin, initially played in the franchise by the late Leslie Nielsen.

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.

In one scene, Neeson interrogates a character played by Busta Rhymes.

An official trailer for “The Naked Gun” reboot is here, and brings with it a special set of skills: absurdist comedy, glossy action aesthetics, Liam Neeson in polkadot briefs and a school girl uniform and, naturally, an O.J. Simpson joke.

Neeson stars as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of legendary goofball cop and franchise father Leslie Nielsen. In a brief clip shared online and at CinemaCon, the annual convention of movie theater owners, Neeson brings Nielsen’s brand of crimefighting to a new generation of audiences.

In the midst of a tense heist where police officers are attempting to seize bank robbers, we see a little girl with an oversized lollipop casually walk through the standoff.

“What do you want, little one?” asks a bad guy toting a machine gun. “Your ass,” says the child, before ripping off a face mask to reveal Neeson. The lollipop stick becomes a deadly...

Who would have thought that Liam Neeson could be the next Leslie Nielsen? The “Taken” icon and late comedy legend are now sharing more than just initials: Neeson is playing the son of Nielsen’s beloved “The Naked Gun” character Frank Drebin, who Nielsen portrayed in the ’80s TV series “Police Squad!” and original “Naked Gun” film franchise. It’s now Neeson’s turn to be Frank Drebin Jr., yet another hapless detective like his father whose cases always become a comedy of errors.

“The Naked Gun” reboot is directed by “SNL” and The Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer, with Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins producing. Schaffer co-wrote the script with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Both Schaffer and Daniel M. Stillman executive produce.

“The Naked Gun” stars Neeson as the next generation of Drebins. The official synopsis reads: “Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead...

Paul Walter Hauser, the widely lauded star of films like Richard Jewell, and the martial arts comedy show Cobra Kai, is set to feature in the upcoming reboot of the spoof comedy franchise The Naked Gun. Details about the movie remain under wraps and not much has been revealed about the project. However, Hauser has spilled the beans about his own character and that of his co-star, Liam Neeson.

Hauser is currently promoting his latest movie, The Luckiest Man in America. In the film, based on an unbelievable true story, Hauser plays Michael Larson, an ice-cream truck driver who won a ton of cash in the game show Press Your Luck after he found out how to predict some patterns. The Luckiest Man in America opens in theaters next April, and then his next big movie is Marvel's The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

The actor spoke to JoBlo, and he...

Liam Neeson has made the most of his time as an action hero since taking on a career-changing role in Taken, but the man himself was never quite sure whether he should really be getting into the world of violent revenge-driven action thrillers, and, as he once recalled, he was even made to feel a bit embarrassed by the amount of nasty deaths he caused in the movie.

Neeson has become everyone’s go-to guy on many streaming platforms as his 20-year legacy of action movies constantly switches around different streamers. Many find their way into various Top 10 charts, especially when they arrive on a free streaming service like Tubi, but it could have been all different if Neeson had bailed on the film that started it all.

Speaking to ScreenRant back in 2022, Neeson confessed that his driver had once made him feel bad about the things the script called for him to do.

When the trailer for "Taken" first started making the rounds in 2008, no one thought it was terribly out of character for Liam Neeson to star in a straight-ahead action flick. With films like "Darkman," "Rob Roy" and "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace" on his resume, the 1993 Best Actor nominee for "Schindler's List" certainly seemed comfortable making genre movies. The surprise was the five years that led up to it. After failing to snag a well-deserved second Best Actor nomination for "Kinsey" in 2004, he segued to supporting parts in "Kingdom of Heaven," "Batman Begins" and "Breakfast on Pluto," which suggested he was either getting passed over for lead roles, didn't fit the star type for whatever was being offered, or entering the character actor phase of his career.

After the moody Western "Seraphim Falls" failed to catch on with moviegoers (despite the intriguing pairing of Neeson and Pierce Brosnan), next up was "Taken.

The comedy genre has produced some of the greatest movies of all time, from iconic parodies like Airplane! and Young Frankenstein to satires like The Death of Stalin. When it comes to sequels, the genre has more than most, with the relatively low cost of making a great comedy allowing for success to turn good stories into franchises. As a result, a wide range of comedies of all stripes have produced some excellent sequels.

Comedy sequels can be incredibly hit or miss, with some movies losing key cast members or original creators, while others find success with each entry. However, when they're done right, they can keep the audience coming back for more, even surpassing the prior films. From spy parodies to coming-of-age tales, returning to the stories of entertaining characters can bring the comedy genre to its height -- and some movies prove it.

The Spy Who Shagged Me...

Since the success of old-school sitcoms like I Love Lucy and All In the Family, comedy has proven one of TV's most successful genres, with some shows running for over a decade. As impressive as the genre's longevity is, some audiences prefer shorter series that they can enjoy across a single day. A shorter show gives the audience something easy to digest, and some series surpass the quality of long sitcoms in a mere six episodes.

Comedy shows come in a range of formats, tones and styles, from dark comedy to witty satire and everything in between. While the classic weekly sitcom formula is still king, sometimes more can be said with less, and these shorter shows allow more focus on character building. Long shows always risk falling into a repetitive cycle of unoriginal stories, while compressing more into less forces the best out of writers.

Police Squad! Spawned the...

For the bulk of his career, Leslie Nielsen was best known for his stern, dramatic roles. His tall stature and low voice had casting directors offering him parts as commanders, leaders, and even heavies. Many might recall Nielsen's stone-faced turn in 1956's "Forbidden Planet" as the captain in "The Poseidon Adventure," or playing a cop in the 1972 cop drama "The Bold Ones: The Protectors." In 1977's "Day of the Animals" he plays a manly outdoorsman who loses his mind and, quite darkly, declares insane dominion over animals and women. Some might recall that he can hold his breath a long time, as he declared in "Creepshow." Many will be shocked to witness Nielsen beat and assault Barbra Streisand in the 1987 drama "Nuts." 

However, Nielsen did appear in a handful of comedies, most notably, playing Dr. Rumack in the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker farce "Airplane!" The parody proved that he had a talent for deadpan comedy,...

Credit to them, The Naked Gun series never tried to be gracious with their humor. Between its slapstick, sight gags, play on words, and juvenile humor, writer-directors Jerry Zucker, David Zucker, and the late Jim Abrahams threw every kind of joke at you throughout the parody trilogy starring Leslie Nielsen as bumbling police detective Frank Drebin. Regardless of how unsubtle they are in their execution, The Naked Gun films, even its inferior sequels, are purely delightful, and you can find a new gag or punchline upon every re-watch. In certain cases, the Zuckers and Abrahams' humor can touch the third rail, not so much from a socially insensitive lens, but by landing in hot water in court. Promotional material for the final film in the trilogy, The Naked Gun: 33 1/3: The Final Insult, spoofed Demi Moore's famous Vanity Fair cover photo, something its photographer, Annie Leibovitz, was not amused by.

Priscila Presley can’t wait to see Pamela Anderson in ‘The Naked Gun’ reboot.The 79-year-old actress - who is the ex-wife of the ‘King of Rock and Roll’ Elvis Presley - starred opposite the late Leslie Nielsen as detective Frank Drebin’s love interest Jane Spencer in the 1989 action-comedy film and the two sequels that followed.Priscilla is excited to see Pamela, 57, enter the franchise in an as-yet unknown role, although she is expected to be the love interest of Liam Neeson, who will be playing Frank Drebin Jr., the the son of Nielsen's detective.Speaking on a panel at Fan Expo San Francisco, Priscila said: “I guess they're going to do a new one now. I hear Pamela Anderson is going to play my part, and I'm sure she'll be good. I'd like to see her and how she plays it.”Reminiscing about her late co-star Nielsen...

Priscilla Presley has had quite the life, and quite the career, on-screen and off it, but one of her most iconic movie roles will not be revisited, in news that might disappoint fans of her funniest role. Speaking at FanExpo San Francisco, during a panel that reflected on her career, Presley was asked about her experiences on The Naked Gun alongside the late and legendary Leslie Nielsen. Presley played Jane Spencer in The Naked Gun series, and is a key character in the franchise as she serves as the love interest of Nielsen's bumbling detective Frank Drebin. She appeared in all three movies: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988), The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991), and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994).

Following the death of Jim Abrahams, there’s been a lot of chatter online about a movie he co-wrote: The Naked Gun. Fans have been sharing their favorite scenes on social media, such as the prolonged bribery sequence featuring Lt. Frank Drebin and a shady dockworker.

But wouldn’t these scenes be more fun if you got to control Frank Drebin yourself?

Apparently we came surprisingly close to getting a Naked Gun tie-in video game. As reported by retro gaming site Time Extension, British game developer Perfect Entertainment obtained the rights to The Naked Gun franchise decades ago, and were planning on releasing a game based on the classic comedy in late 1997.

The company’s co-founder, Gregg Barnett, recently revealed that the game would have been a “2D point-and-click adventure” with a new storyline that incorporated the mind-control technology used by the villainous Vincent Ludwig to try and bump off...

This article first appeared into the September 2018 issue of Empire.

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Thirty years after unleashing defective detective Frank Drebin onto the streets of LA, the men behind The Naked Gun talk us through its most iconic moments.

“I’ve finally found someone I can love. A good clean love, without utensils.”

So spoke Lieutenant Frank Drebin in the closing moments of The Naked Gun, romancing his girlfriend mere seconds after his would-be assassin is trampled to death by a marching band. It’s been 30 years since Leslie Nielsen’s Drebin crashed into cinemas, getting everything wrong yet somehow still solving the case. Today, Drebin’s co-creators David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (aka Zaz), brought together by Empire for an anniversary chinwag, are in fine fettle — there’s no mistaking Drebin’s heritage. “Tell me if I’m wrong,” says Empire, about to pose a question. “You’re wrong!

Jim Abrahams, one of the creative minds behind such comedies as Airplane!, three Naked Gun movies, and the TV series Police Squad!, died November 26, 2024, at his Santa Monica, California home, Deadline reports. He was 80 years old.

Abrahams was born May 10, 1944, in Shorewood, Wi. He grew up with the brothers David and Jerry Zucker, and the trio often referred to as "Zaz" got their start in Hollywood with The Kentucky Fried Movie. Written by Zaz and directed by John Landis, the film consists of a series of crude, sometimes offensive vignettes something which, by modern standards, could never be made today. Abrahams and the Zucker brothers appeared in the movie alongside James Bond actor George Lazenby, Donald Sutherland, and The Incredible Hulk star Bill Bixby, among others.

The trio got their big break in 1980 with Airplane!, a send-up of '70s disaster flicks like Airport and The Poseidon Adventure. Starring Leslie Nielsen,...

It is with great sadness that we bring you the news Jim Abrahams, the legendary writer-director who — alongside brothers Jerry and David Zucker — gave us such comedy greats as Airplane!, The Naked Gun, and Police Squad, has died at the age of 80. His son Joseph confirmed the news to THR, telling the outlet that his father passed away of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica earlier today.

James S. Abrahams was born in Shorewood, Wisconsin on 10 May, 1944. The son of educational researcher Louise M. Abrahams and lawyer Norman S. Abrahams, it would be fair to say that young Jim Abrahams didn't develop his love of comedy from studying his folks' vocations. Rather, it was the childhood friendship he formed with the Zucker brothers — sons of his father's business colleague, and classmates at Shorewood High School and then the University of Wisconsin in Madison — that helped Abrahams Jr. find his funny bone.

Filmmaker Jim Abrahams, whose work includes co-directing the iconic comedy movie Airplane!, has passed away.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Jim Abrahams died on Tuesday at his home in Santa Monica, California. According to his son, Joseph, the filmmaker's passing was due to natural causes. He was 80 years old.

Abrahams has long been known for his work on several popular slapstick comedy movies. He frequently collaborated with filmmaking brothers Jerry and David Zucker, and the trio co-wrote John Landis' 1977 comedy Kentucky Fried Movie. They followed this up by co-writing and co-directing Airplane!, the 1980 spoof of disaster movies starring Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, and Robert Stack.

With a budget of less than $4 million, the comedy earned over $171 million at the box office. The film also won a WGA Award for Best Adapted Comedy. It is still remembered fondly as one of the best slapstick comedies ever made, often quoted by...

The world would have been a far less funny place without Jim Abrahams, who passed away today at the age of 80.

Abrahams is likely best remembered for his iconic collaborations with brothers David and Jerry Zucker. The trio’s live “Kentucky Fried Theater” shows eventually paved the way for their first film as screenwriters: The Kentucky Fried Movie. As directors, the Zaz comedy team that gave us all-time classics like Airplane! and Top Secret!, and they later penned the David Zucker-directed The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

When it came to comedies with exclamation points in the titles, they really couldn't be beat.

Speaking of emphatic punctuation, Abrahams continued the absurd, rapid-fire comedic style he pioneered with the Zuckers in his solo directorial effort Hot Shots!, which was quickly followed by Hot Shots! Part Deux.

While the first movie began as a parody of Top Gun,...

Jim Abrahams, part of the writing-directing-producing team behind such comedy touchstones as Airplane!, the Naked Gun films, and Police Squad!, died Tuesday at his Santa Monica home. He was 80.

His son, Joseph Abrahams, confirmed the news to our sister site The Hollywood Reporter.

Along with brothers David and Jerry Zucker, Abrahams also was behind laugh-inducing — and often intentionally groan-inducing — comedy films including Top Secret! and the Top Gun spoofs Hot Shots! and Hot Shots! Part Deux. Students of the Mel Brooks School of Anything for a Laugh, the trio paired absurd situations with deadpan lines and fueled Leslie Nielsen’s unlikely rise to leading man after 30 years in the business.

The trio got their big-screen start writing The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), a series of decidedly un-pc vignettes directed by John Landis that ranged from silly to uproarious to “what the hell?!” and back. Sample: A TV news anchor deadpans from...

Jim Abrahams, a film director and writer behind hit slapstick comedies like “Airplane!,” “Hot Shots!,” the “Naked Gun” series and more, died Tuesday, his son Joseph confirmed to Variety. He was 80.

With his childhood friends Jerry and David Zucker, Abrahams formed the filmmaking trio, called Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, and popularized the spoof genre of the 1980s.

“Jim Abrahams redefined the boundaries of humor through groundbreaking works like ‘Airplane!’ and ‘The Naked Gun’ series. Together with Jerry and David Zucker, he transformed satire into an art form, inspiring generations of comedians and filmmakers and leaving an indelible mark on the world of comedy,” said the National Comedy Center executive director Journey Gunderson in a statement.

With the Zucker brothers, Abrahams founded the The Kentucky Fried Theater while they all attended college together at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1971. That led to them making their film debut with the indie sketch...

Jim Abrahams, the writer-director who with brothers Jerry and David Zucker turned the comedy genre on its ear with such zany efforts as Airplane!, Police Squad! and The Naked Gun films, died Tuesday. He was 80.

Abrahams died of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica, his son Joseph told The Hollywood Reporter.

The trio made their first mainstream impression by writing the sketch-filled Kentucky Fried Movie (1977), directed by John Landis in his prelude to Animal House, and they also combined for Top Secret! (1984), starring a young Val Kilmer, and Ruthless People (1986), featuring Bette Midler and Danny DeVito.

Without his childhood buddies from Wisconsin, Abrahams directed Big Business (1988), starring Midler and Lily Tomlin, and co-wrote and helmed Hot Shots! (1991) and its 1993 sequel, both starring Charlie Sheen.

Joke-filled and laden with sight gags and puns, the humor of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker, or Zaz as they came to be known, was fast,...

From James Gunns Superman to Jurassic World Rebirth, there are some really huge movies that are scheduled to hit theaters during the 2025 summer blockbuster season. Ever since Jaws became the highest-grossing movie ever made in the summer of 1975, Hollywood studios have been releasing their high-concept tentpole films in the summer in the hope of recapturing its success. Summer tends to be when the highest-grossing movies of a given year come along. This year, it was Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine. Last year, it was Barbenheimer. The year before, it was Top Gun: Maverick.

The summer blockbuster season typically starts in May (even though summer itself doesnt start until June) and runs until September. 2025s summer blockbuster season is shaping up to be a great one. Marvel Studios is releasing not one, but two highly anticipated superhero movies. Liam Neeson is inheriting the role of Frank Drebin from the late,...

I’ve been lucky in my job at JoBlo to interview a lot of the legends I grew up watching on the silver screen, but until recently I never had the chance to chat with one of the all-timers, Liam Neeson. I was a monster fan of his from way back, even before he reinvented his career thanks to the breakout success of Taken. I grew up watching him in movies like Darkman, Rob Roy, Schindler’s List, and many others.

But, the thing is – when you interview a legend, there’s always that worry that they might let you down. Suffice it to say that was Not the case with Neeson, who proved to be an affable, friendly, and down-to-earth fellow. I had a very nice conversation with him about his latest movie, Absolution, in which he plays an aging thug trying to atone for past misdeeds. While our internet...

Taken (2007) and Schindler's List (1993) star Liam Neeson said on The Late Night With Seth Meyers that Pamela Anderson "is going to steal" the film about the upcoming Naked Gun reboot. Directed by The Lonely Island member and former SNL star Akiva Schaffer, the film is expected to be released in 2025.

Neeson will play Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the original lead, Frank Drebin, played by the late Leslie Nielson. Little is known about the plot, though current previews of the film have received positive responses from a recent screening, with one person said to have called it a mix between Austin Powers and Family Guy. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is one of the movie's producers.

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The...

Liam Neeson is starring in the reboot of Naked Gun. He has been out promoting the upcoming movie and had nothing but good things to say about his co-star in the film, Pamela Anderson. In a recent interview, Neeson even said he was “madly in love with Anderson.”

Here is what you need to know about Neeson, Anderson, and their upcoming Naked Gun movie.

Liam Neeson Starring In Naked Gun Remake With Pamela Anderson

The original Naked Gun starred Leslie Nielsen as Police Squad Lieutenant Frank Drebin. In this mostly slapstick comedy, Drebin is a bumbling police officer who often saves the day by accident. Along the way, he meets a beautiful woman (played by Priscilla Presley), who helps him in his mission and eventually falls in love with him.

Liam Neeson YouTube The View

In the 2025 remake, Liam Neeson will play Frank Drebin Jr., and Pamela Anderson will likely...

Next August, Taken star Liam Neeson will put aside his gritty, aged action hero persona and pick up something far funnier (though likely just as gritty) in the reboot of comedy gem The Naked Gun. Now, Neeson has given us a brief insight into what we can expect from the comedy outing, delivering a menacing warning when asked about the project by JoBlo. Leaning forward and delivering the following quote in his familiar growl, Neeson stated that...

Its going to be very funny.

While short, the way Neeson promises big laughs as if its a threat is no doubt a tease of whats to come when The Naked Gun reboot puts the action stars persona in the parody spotlight. Breaking character, Neeson reportedly went on to praise his co-stars, which includes Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, Cch Pounder, and Busta Rhymes.

While...

One of the great things about Liam Neeson is that, despite all his accolades (and massive box office pull), he’s never taken himself too seriously. Recently, we here at JoBlo got to experience that firsthand when discussing his latest movie, Absolution. While the full interview goes up next week, we had to highlight a hilarious chunk of the interview, where the star teased his upcoming Naked Gun reboot.

When we asked him if he could reveal anything to us about the highly anticipated comedy, he leaned forward and, in hilariously deadpan fashion, said, “It’s going to be very funny,” with Heavy hints of menace. Immediately breaking into a chuckle, Neeson was quick to praise his co-stars, Pamela Anderson and Danny Huston, and looks pretty excited about this potential new direction as he weighs retiring from action flicks.

It has to be said, as far as Hollywood tough guys go,...

Liam Neeson will be taking a pause on starring in action films. The “Taken” icon, who has led the franchise since 2009, told People that he is planning to hang up his stunt-heavy leading roles in the next year or so. “Maybe the end of next year,” Neeson said of when he would exit the genre, referencing sometime in 2025. “I think that’s it.”

While Neeson is currently promoting yet another revenge-centric action film with “Absolution,” the actor admitted he is starting to feel his age. “I’m 72 — it has to stop at some stage,” Neeson said. “You can’t fool audiences.”

The “Love Actually” and “Schindler’s List” star added that the more intense stunt work required for his films is performed by Neeson’s longtime collaborator Mark Vanselow. Yet Neeson still does his own fight scenes, and when he no longer can, that’s when the actor has pinpointed his action movie retirement.

Quick Links The Naked Gun Reboot Latest News The Naked Gun Reboot Release Date The Naked Gun Reboot Cast The Naked Gun Reboot Story The Naked Gun Reboot: Further News & Info

The classic comedy franchise The Naked Gun is getting the modern reboot treatment, and there are already a ton of exciting updates about the new film. Originally released in 1988 and based on the TV show Police Squad!, The Naked Gun follows bumbling detective Frank Drebin and his pals on the force as they try to foil a plot to assassinate the Queen of England. Created by the legendary Zucker brothers, The Naked Gun's humor was a mix of slapstick antics and screwball weirdness, and it was largely anchored by franchise star Leslie Nielsen's brilliant delivery.

Besides the first film in 1988, The Naked Gun would continue in two sequels throughout the 1990s, though its critical standing would slip with each successive release.

Paramount Pictures remake of The Naked Gun has been pushed back by the studios. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the reboot starring Liam Neeson as Detective Frank Drebin, the role originated by the late Leslie Neilsen in the 1988 movie, will be released Aug. 1, 2025. The film originally had a July 18, 2025, release date. The first Naked Gun movie, Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! spawned two sequels, 1991's Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun: 33 1/3: The Final Insult from 1994.

Headed up by director Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping), the yet-untitled Naked Gun remake is being produced by Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins. In addition to Neeson, the movie will star Paul Walter Hauser (Inside Out 2) and Pamela Anderson (Baywatch).

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