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1988’s The Naked Gun is making a comeback, but will it capture the same magic as the original? Most comedies now feel the need to sneak in a life lesson, and silliness, wordplay, or casual gags have largely been pushed aside. The Naked Gun, however, worked because it didn’t particularly care too much about those things. It just wanted to be funny.

With Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson stepping into the franchise as fresh faces, the 2025 Naked Gun reboot is officially set to hit theaters on August 1, 2025. Originally scheduled for July 18, 2025, the release date was shifted by a couple of weeks, likely to accommodate studio scheduling conflicts, including the rescheduling of Vicious, another Paramount project. Here’s everything we know so far about the new Naked Gun.

Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson star in The Naked Gun reboot

Liam Neeson takes on the role of Frank Drebin Jr.

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,...

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...

Estreno en agosto. © Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures ha aprovechado la CinemaCon para desvelar el primer tráiler y póster de Agárralo como puedas, el esperado reboot de la mítica saga de comedia policiaca.

Solo un hombre tiene las habilidades necesarias… ¡para dirigir la Brigada Policial y salvar el mundo! En Agárralo como puedas, el teniente Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) sigue los pasos de su padre.

La película está protagonizada por Liam Neeson (Retribution), Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai) y Kevin Durand (El reino del planeta de los simios). Completan el reparto Cch Pounder, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu y Danny Huston. Por su parte, está dirigida por Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live) y escrita junto a Dan Gregor (Chip y Chop: Los guardianes rescatadores) y Doug Mand (Las aventuras del Doctor Dolittle).

Agárralo como puedas se estrena en cines el 1 de agosto.

¡Os dejamos...

Paramount Pictures has released the official teaser trailer and poster for The Naked Gun, the new comedy opening in theaters on August 1, 2025.

Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) follows in his father’s footsteps in The Naked Gun.

The film is directed by Akiva Schaffer and produced by Seth MacFarlane.

The cast includes Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Cch Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston.

Paramount Pictures is presenting, in association with Domain Entertainment, a Fuzzy Door production. The movie was written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Akiva Schaffer.

The executive producers include Daniel M. Stillman, Akiva Schaffer, Pete Chiappetta, Anthony Tittanegro, and Andrew Lary. MacFarlane produces with Erica Huggins. Principal photography for the new movie began on May 6, 2024, in Atlanta, and wrapped on June 28 of that same year.

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...

Paramount Pictures dropped the first look at the studio’s “The Naked Gun” remake on Thursday with the film’s first trailer, introducing Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the iconic comedy character played by Leslie Nielsen in the original franchise.

Akiva Schaffer, one third of The Lonely Island, co-wrote and directs the film which follows Drebin Jr. as he leads the Police Squad and, of course, must save the world.

While a teaser was released on YouTube, attendees at CinemaCon got to see an early look at an upcoming full trailer in which Neeson teases his past work in the “Taken” films, warning that when you take a life, there’s no going back. “It’s a moment that makes you say…that was awesome!”

And in a biting moment, as we see members of the Police Squad cry over a picture of the deceased Captain Ed Hocken,...

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,...

Whenever the topic of all-time great comedy movies comes up, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! deserves to be recognized. As far as parodies go, it’s undoubtedly one of the funniest there is, perhaps only being rivaled by the likes of Airplane! or some of the better Mel Brooks parodies, like Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

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).

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...

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...

One of the major contributors to the comedy film world, Jim Abrahams, has reportedly passed away at the age of 80. The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that his son, Joseph, confirmed that Abrahams died of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica. The renowned writer/director was best known as part of the trio Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker, which also consisted of David and Jerry Zucker. All three would produce the immensely beloved comedy Airplane! along with The Naked Gun movies.

The trio would break through by writing the sketch film The Kentucky Fried Movie, which was helmed by John Landis. The Zaz team would also write and direct the spy film parody Top Secret!, which starred Val Kilmer in his debut film role, as well as the Bette Midler and Danny DeVito comedy Ruthless People. The team would eventually go their separate ways, but Abrahams would keep directing with his own comedies,...

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,...

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...

We’re obviously completely self-aware that we’re publishing this list the Monday after Deadpool & Wolverine made $205 million at the box office. That’s the whole point of being meta, right? Or if you want to get Merriam-Webster involved, something that “shows or suggests an explicit awareness of itself or oneself as a member of its category: cleverly self-referential.”

That said, when it comes to movies, this kind of self-awareness can cover a wide range of narrative devices. A character quietly acknowledging the audience can be meta. Other times, meta scenes can intentionally break apart a film’s reality. Meta doesn’t even necessarily need to be done for the sake of humor either, as plenty of movies — from Frederico Fellini’s 8½ to the horror thriller Funny Games — get meta without much humorous intention.

But for the purposes of this list, which Cracked writers Tim Grierson and Matt Solomon and...

Jeanette Charles, a British actress famous for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth in countless films and television series including The Naked Gun, National Lampoon’s European Vacation, and Austin Powers in Goldmember, has died at the age of 96.

Hailing from Essex, Charles ironically had trouble obtaining roles in her early days due to her resemblance to the Queen of England. However, when she began to receive lucrative offers to portray the Queen both in advertisements and in film, she began to embrace her role as an impersonator.

Charles’ most notable on-screen appearances as Queen Elizabeth came in 1985’s National Lampoon’s European Vacation, where she appeared in Ellen Griswold’s dreams; in 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, where she was the target of an assassination plot at an Anaheim Angels baseball game — and also threw a screwball; and in 2002’s Austin Powers in Goldmember, where she honored Austin with knighthood.

Exclusive: Paramount has rounded out the cast for its untitled Naked Gun reboot with four additions: Liza Koshy (Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts), current WWE Undisputed Champion Cody Rhodes, Cch Pounder (Rustin) and Busta Rhymes.

No word on the roles they’re playing, but we’re told Rhodes will only be making a cameo. As previously announced, Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand and Danny Huston will also star. Neeson plays Detective Frank Drebin, with Hauser as his partner Ed. Roles for Anderson and Huston haven’t yet emerged, though it’s understood that Durand will be playing the film’s villain.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

Known...

The Naked Gun reboot has added American Horror Story's Danny Huston to its cast, joining Liam Neeson and others. Details of Huston's role are still under wraps. Huston's previous work with Neeson in Marlowe and experience in both comedy and drama make him a solid addition to the cast.

The Naked Gun reboot, starring Liam Neeson, has added a Yellowstone alum to the project. A planned reboot of the successful 1988 Leslie Nielsen movie The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! has been in the works for around a decade. In 2022, the project was officially greenlit with Neeson in the lead role. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will co-write and co-produce the movie, with Hot Rod director Akiva Schaffer at the helm.

According to reports from Deadline, American Horror Story alumnus Danny Huston is the latest name to be added to the cast of the Naked Gun reboot. Details...

Exclusive: Danny Huston (The Dead Don’t Hurt) has signed on to star alongside Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser and Kevin Durand in the untitled Naked Gun reboot from Paramount Pictures.

Details as to the film’s plot, as well as Huston’s role in it, are under wraps. But Neeson will play Detective Frank Drebin, as previously announced, with Hauser as his partner Ed. It’s not yet clear who Anderson will be playing, though it’s understood that Durand will be taking on one of the film’s villain roles.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

Known for their absurd scenarios and slapstick humor, past Naked Gun films centered on the misadventures of Drebin,...

Paul Walter Hauser joins as Captain Ed Hocken in the upcoming Naked Gun reboot. The remaining cast also includes Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson. After years of development hell, the movie seems to finally be in the right direction with the latest casting details.

Liam Neeson's upcoming The Naked Gun reboot movie has announced the casting of one of the franchise's original legacy characters. As one of the defining comedy franchises of the '80s and '90s, the original movie, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, was released in 1988, and starred comedian Leslie Nielsen as a bumbling police lieutenant investigating a criminal plot to create mind-controlled assassins. The movie took over $152 million at the global box office and spawned two equally successful sequels, concluding with 1994's Naked Gun 33+13: The Final Insult.

According to Deadline, the Naked Gun reboot has cast one of the original characters from the franchise,...

Paul Walter Hauser is ready to fight crime alongside Liam Neeson in the reboot of the Naked Gun franchise.

Hauser is set to play Captain Ed in director Akiva Schaffer’s untitled new Naked Gun film that Paramount Pictures plans to release July 18, 2025. George Kennedy previously played the role in the original film trilogy that kicked off with the 1988 comedy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand penned the new movie’s script with Schaffer. The two scribes previously wrote the director’s Emmy-winning Disney+ feature Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door produce the project that is based on the Naked Gun film franchise and the television series Police Squad! from Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker. Daniel M. Stillman serves as executive producer.

Hauser joins the cast that includes Neeson and Pamela Anderson. While plot details are under wraps,...

Exclusive: Paul Walter Hauser’s hot streak continues. After seeing New Line lock up rights to the authorized Chris Farley biopic in which he’ll star for director Josh Gad, the actor has signed on to the untitled Naked Gun reboot from Paramount Pictures.

Hauser joins an ensemble that also includes Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, as previously announced. He’ll take on the role of Ed, Frank Drebin’s partner, which was inhabited in prior Naked Gun films by George Kennedy, and in the preceding series Police Squad! by Alan North.

Akiva Schaffer is directing and exec producing the comedy, slated for release in theaters on July 18, 2025. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand wrote the draft script along with Schaffer, with whom they partnered on the Emmy-winning film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing via Fuzzy Door, with Daniel M. Stillman also serving as EP.

The best things come in threes, especially stories. In Western nations, we like a three-act structure in which we set a status quo, watch our heroes fall, and then see them return to greatness. Some of these stories cannot be held within a single movie. For those epics, those monumental narratives, the movie trilogy was born. Trilogies represent some of the best that cinema has to offer, movies that changed the culture and the art form. The trilogy might vary in quality from film to film, but together these three films tell a story that cannot be ignored.

Before we get too far, let’s lay out our criteria. The trilogies chosen here are those intended to be a trilogy, either from the outset or by the end of the third film. Thus we’re including things such as the Toy Story and Indiana Jones trilogies, even though those continued on with further entries.

Liam Neeson will be joined by a popular Baywatch star for the reimagining of The Naked Gun. While Neeson will portray a new version of Leslie Nielsen's character from the original, he'll be co-starring with Pamela Anderson.

Per Deadline, Pamela Anderson has boarded the cast of the untitled Naked Gun reboot, which is due to hit theaters on July 2025. It's been known that the film will star Neeson as Frank Drebin, though Anderson's role hasn't yet been revealed. Akiva Shaffer is directing the movie after co-writing the script with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, the screenwriting duo behind the Disney+ movie Chip 'N Dale: Rescue Rangers. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins are producing while Daniel M. Stillman is executive producing.

Related Naked Gun Creators Are 'Not Happy' About Liam Neeson's Upcoming Reboot Director David Zucker and co-writer Pat Proft share their frustrations with Paramount's Naked Gun reboot,...

Liam Neeson is admittedly "a little bit nervous" about his upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun. Neeson plans to put his own spin on the character of Frank Drebin, who was originally portrayed by the late Leslie Nielsen. Neeson is a fan of the original Naked Gun trilogy, which was adapted from the short-lived television show Police Squad! (1982), which also starred Nielsen as Lt. Drebin.

Sure, Liam Neeson's version of the lovable and dimwitted Frank Drebin might not have George Kennedy backing him up, but the famous police lieutenant is headed back to the big screen — and Neeson is actually "nervous." While promoting his film, In the Land of Saints and Sinners, the actor spoke to MovieWeb about taking on the comedic role of Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. — originally played by the late Leslie Nielsen — in the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988). Neeson...

Liam Neeson is proud to be involved with the Naked Gun reboot, but he's still nervous about how the comedy will turn out.

In an interview with Collider, Liam Neeson addressed his starring role in an upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun. He spoke about how his plan is to play his role as Frank Drebin, the character originally played by Leslie Nielsen, in an "absolutely straight" way, allowing the comedy to come from how that plays off of the other characters. He also admitted that he feels nervous, as he doesn't have much experience in doing this kind of comedy.

Related '[I'm] Too Fing Old': Liam Neeson Shuts Down Star Wars Return as Qui-Gon Jinn Actor Liam Neeson reflects on his time making the first Star Wars prequel before explaining why it's unlikely he'll return to the IP as Qui-Gon Jinn.

"Well, obviously, the script has got to be...

The Naked Gun, also known as Police Squad!, is an American crime spoof-comedy franchise. Having started in 1982 with the TV series Police Squad! aired on the ABC Network, the franchise includes one TV series and three movies, adapted from an original story written by the comedy filmmaking trio Jim Abrahams, and brothers David and Jerry Zucker.

The lead role of Detective Sergeant Franklin ‘Frank’ Drebin in The Naked Gun is played by the late actor Leslie Nielsen. Several other characters appear in the films. One of them is Detective Fred Nordberg, who is portrayed by O. J. Simpson. Recently, creator David Zucker revealed why he had Simpson play the role of Nordberg.

A still from The Naked Gun (1988)

David Zucker on Why O. J. Simpson Was Cast in the Role of Detective Nordberg

O. J. Simpson is a former football running back who played in the NFL for 11 seasons. He...

Are you ready for the return of bumbling detective Frank Drebin to the big screen? Wait, chances are if you are under 35 you have no idea what we’re referring to. The character was a masterstroke of deadpan humor played by Leslie Nielsen in three motion pictures beginning with “The Naked Gun: From The Files of Police Squad!” in 1988. Today, Paramount Pictures revealed the long-rumored reboot starring Liam Neeson will arrive in theaters on July 18, 2025.

Continue reading Liam Neeson’s ‘Naked Gun’ Reboot Set For July 2025 at The Playlist.

There are many reasons why a show is canceled. It bombs right out of the gate like the CW's Aquaman television show, it's getting long in the tooth, or the cast simply wants to move on from the show. It would be rare, if not downright strange, for a show to be canceled because viewers had to pay attention. Strange as it may be, that did happen in 1982, and it happened to one of the funniest TV series of all time: Police Squad!. For those that it rings a bell to, this is the namesake being referenced in The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, and it's just as zany, perhaps even more so, than the Naked Gun trilogy it spawned.

The Naked Gun reboot is still in development and is being worked on by writer Akiva Schaffer and his team. Liam Neeson, who will lead the project, is excited to try something different and compares the reboot to the comedic style of Airplane. Despite his involvement in The Naked Gun, Neeson has no plans to slow down in the action/thriller genre and has several other projects in the pipeline.

Seth MacFarlane has finally shared his own update on the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun. Previously, Taken star Liam Neeson revealed he is looking forward to fumbling around with a gun rather than expertly taking down bad guys in the new reboot/sequel, and suggested that filming will get underway this year. In an extensive interview with The Wrap, MacFarlane gave his short response to a question about the status of the movie. He revealed:

It’s being worked on as we speak.

The Naked Gun franchise reboot is not impressing the original creators who feel excluded from the project. The original script for Naked Gun 4 was rejected due to a minor joke, leading to Seth MacFarlane taking over the reboot. Despite not being used in the new film, the original creators are repurposing their script into an original movie called Counterintelijence.

The upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun sounds like it could tickle the funny bones of many moviegoers, but it hasn’t exactly enamored itself to the original movie’s creators. As a shining example of late ‘80s and ‘90s slapstick and innuendo-packed comedies, The Naked Gun franchise did not concern itself with anything other than making a large audience laugh with its ridiculous visual humor and wordplay. Now it seems that Liam Neeson is set to step into the shoes of Leslie Neilsen, playing Lt. Frank Drebin’s son in...

Created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the TV series Police Squad! only ran for six episodes back in 1982, but it spawned a popular film franchise that so far consists of three films: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 21⁄2: The Smell of Fear, and Naked Gun 331⁄3: The Final Insult, all three of which had Pat Proft on board as a screenwriter. When it was announced that a straight-to-video sequel called The Naked Gun 4: Rhythm of Evil was moving ahead in 2009 with none of the original creative team involved, that original creative team didn’t react well. That movie didn’t make it into production, but now that a reboot of The Naked Gun is moving forward at Paramount with Akiva Schaffer set to direct the film from a screenplay by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Mark Hentemann, Alec Sulkin, and producer Seth MacFarlane,...

Turning a short-lived parody TV series into a feature film was always going to involve taking a chance, but as the team behind the Naked Gun franchise learned, it wasn’t quite on the level of sticking your face in a fan.

Following the breakout success of the 1980 smash hit Airplane!, that film’s writer-director team — David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker — found themselves grounded when ABC promptly canceled their police-spoofing show Police Squad! in 1982. But the series’ co-creators refused to let the concept die and went on to adapt it for The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, which Paramount Pictures released theatrically on Dec. 2, 1988. The movie, featuring Leslie Nielsen reprising his Police Squad! lead role as accident-prone police lieutenant Frank Drebin, also starred Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy and O. J. Simpson.

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of the original Naked Gun film that...

Priscilla Presley’s Dating History(Photo Credit –Instagram/IMDb/wikimedia)

Priscilla Ann Presley, the former wife of Elvis Presley, is a famous personality in the showbiz. Priscilla met the King of Rock n Roll when she was just 14 years old and he was twenty-four. They got married in 1967 and parted ways in 1973. Priscilla never married after her divorce from Elvis; however, she did date some renowned personalities. Today, we bring you a list of celebs, she dated after the demise of her ex-husband.

Priscilla reportedly was interested in modeling and modeled for a local store once. She appeared in movies like The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Adventures of Ford Fairlane and more. Priscilla also did the popular soap opera Dallas for a few years; however, Elvis allegedly did not want her to have a career. Scroll below to get the deets.

After separating from Elvis,...

Thanks to the brilliant team of Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, and David Zucker, audiences have been laughing along for 43 years to one of the best comedies ever made, Airplane! And thanks to this same team, audiences got the gift of seeing actor Leslie Nielsen, best known for dramatic roles in classic films like Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure, playing comedy for the first time. And thanks to Nielsen's commitment to portraying Dr. Rumack, the discombobulated physician trying to save the passengers on a doomed airliner, as if he were the most serious character in the most serious disaster movie ever made, Nielsen's career as a comic performer was born, some 30 years after his first onscreen appearance. Airplane! was a send-up of 1957's Zero Hour, a low-budget "airliner in peril" movie, and some of the movie's dialogue was lifted directly from the film and inserted into the Airplane! script.

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is receiving a 35th anniversary steelbook release, honoring the comedy masterpiece. Fans can preorder the two-disc set now. The steelbook includes a 4K Ultra HD disc, a Blu-ray, and a digital code, but bonus features are not disclosed.

“Hey, it’s Enrico Pallazzo!” Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) — the Rodney Dangerfield of all law enforcers — finally gets the respect he deserves. The lovable but bumbling Drebin is receiving the 4K treatment this fall when the character's first big-screen adaptation celebrates its 35th anniversary in style. 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is being honored with its very own steelbook.

On November 28, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! 35th Anniversary Steelbook 4K Uhd drops. But fans of the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams’ comedy masterpiece can preorder the two-disc set now for around $25.

The 35th...

Summer isn’t over yet but HBO and its streaming arm Max are already moving on to fall. With its list of new releases for August 2023, Max is focusing on football! The American kind, mind you, not the actually footy kind.

August 2023 sees the release of two major football documentaries on HBO and Max. The first is the premiere of Hard Knocks on Aug. 10. The new season of long-running NFL training camp docuseries will center on the New York Jets, new employers of legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On Aug. 23, Max will air the aptly named Bs High. The doc tells the stranger-than-fiction story of high school football team Bishop Sycamore, which pulled off one of the more notable sports scams you’re likely to ever hear about.

Not of the football variety but in keeping with the North American sports theme will be season 2 of Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty on Aug.

DeVaughn Nixon, Quincy Isaiah, and Delante Desouza in ‘Winning Time’ season 2 (Photograph by Warrick Page/HBO)

Hard Knock‘s new season focusing on the New York Jets and the second season of the original drama Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty join Max’s August 2023 lineup, along with Tracy Morgan’s latest comedy special. August’s schedule also includes the season finales of And Just Like That… and Warrior.

Rap Sh!t season two premieres on August 10th, and the new half-hour young adult animated series Adventure Time: Fionna & Cake arrives on August 31st.

Series & Films Arriving On Max In August 2023:

August 1

A Hologram for the King (2016)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child...

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, based on the TV cult classic Police Squad!, is a successful film that spawned two sequels and caught actor Leslie Nielsen at the peak of his comic talents. From beginning to end, the film literally has something funny happening at every moment. It’s a comedy in the same vein as its cousin Airplane!, created by the same madcap team of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker (otherwise known as Zaz), but arguably has a more cohesive storyline to link its non-stop puns, wordplay, and sight gags together. So why isn’t it at the tip of one’s tongue when recounting the greatest comedies in Hollywood history?...

Prior to 1989, actor Leslie Nielsen was still best known for playing heavies and villains. Even when he appeared in comedy classics like "Airplane!" in 1980 or "Police Squad!" in 1982, his comedic power was derived from his ability to stay stonefaced while absurdity explodes around him. 1989, however, saw the release of "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" a film adaptation of the TV show. In that film, Nielsen played the role of Lt. Frank Drebin broadly, doing a lot of mugging and pratfalls. "The Naked Gun" was an enormous hit the year it was released, and Nielsen went full-bore into slapstick roles and spoof movies after that. 

During the 1990s, Nielsen appeared in a litany of gloriously silly flicks like "Spy Hard," "Wrongfully Accused," "Repossessed" (a classic), "Dracula: Dead and Loving It," two of the "Scary Movie" sequels, and many others. Not all of these films were good, but...

One of the funniest inventions of "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story" is the notion of Madonna, played wonderfully by Evan Rachel Wood, romantically glomming onto Daniel Radcliffe's Weird Al to try and get him to parody one of her songs, thus raising her level of fame to the stratosphere. This version of Madonna serves as several archetypes that appear throughout the majority of music biopics. She is simultaneously the intense first love that ends up turning sour, the bad influence who introduces Al to the destructive vices of show business, and the parasitic user of a celebrity to further herself. Some could see it as a bit of anti-Madonna hate, but Wood's portrayal of Madonna doesn't resemble the real woman in any way. It's all just a bit of fun.

Something I love about how the relationship is dramatized is how quickly the two become inseparable. Al immediately falls...

When the now disbanded Zaz trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker were on their spoof game, they belonged to a very exclusive club that, to this day, includes only Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner and Monty Python. Their parody run of "Kentucky Fried Movie," "Airplane!," "Top Secret!" and "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" remains unmatched. And while they were likely too talented to miss the mark in their heyday, it's difficult to imagine them drilling the bullseye so emphatically without the deadpan genius of Leslie Nielsen.

When Nielsen was cast as the unflappable Dr. Rumack in "Airplane!," he was best known for his stolid performances in films like "Forbidden Planet," "The Swamp Fox" and "The Poseidon Adventure." He provided instant, deathly serious gravity to every scene he entered. He was no one's idea of a comedic dynamo, which is why he was perfect for the part of Rumack.

When you look at the world of big screen parodies, there's truly nothing like what David Zucker and company were doing back in their heyday. I grew up in the era where Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer were in the business of pumping out absolute dreck year after year, confusing half-baked references as comedy. I'd gotten my first real taste with "Scary Movie 3," which still holds a special place in my heart, but once I'd become acquainted with Zucker's previous work, I knew what I had been missing out on all this time.

The humor in "Airplane!" involves very specific references, but the key to its longevity was taking an absurd series of events, and taking them very seriously. With that comes the comedy emergence of "Forbidden Planet" actor Leslie Nielsen, who had primarily played more dramatic characters prior to this role. It's no wonder his comedy career soared...

The 1982 TV series "Police Squad!," created by the famed Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker (Zaz) comedy team, only lasted six episodes, but it remains one of the best TV shows of all time. In a strange way, its early cancelation was artistically fortuitous. Its small volume allows the show's many fans to savor what was provided. Additionally, the showrunners, fond of repeated jokes and running gags, never had a chance to run their humor into the ground. There's not a lot of "Police Squad!" in terms of raw numbers, but in terms of comedy, it was a feast.

Six years later, Paramount allowed the Zaz team to resurrect their creation on the big screen as a means of introducing the tiny cult series to a larger audiences. David Zucker's "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" repeated a lot of the jokes from the series, and brought back star...

Veteran action star has agreed to lead a revival of the much-loved police spoof franchise starring Leslie Nielsen

Liam Neeson is set to step into the brogues of the late Leslie Nielsen in a reboot of the police spoof classic The Naked Gun.

The original Naked Gun trilogy were slapstick crime-procedural parodies created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker, starring Nielsen as Lieutenant Frank Drebin, a good-natured but gullible detective who originated in the shortlived 1982 TV series Police Squad! The first film was released in 1988 and was a critical hit that made 140m. Two sequels – 1991’s The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and 1994’s Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult – were also commercial successes.

Actor Liam Neeson is interested in starring in Paramount's new "The Naked Gun" police spoof comedy feature, to be directed by Akiva Schaffer:

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...

Paramount Pictures has greenlit a reboot of the classic slapstick comedy, The Naked Gun, with Liam Neeson in talks to star and Akiva Schaffer set to direct the project, according to a report from Deadline. It is believed that Neeson will play the son of officer Frank Drebin, the character played in the original by Leslie Nielsen in the 80s comedy classic series.

Nobody could possibly top the late comedy legend Leslie Nielsen and his performance in the classic 1988 film "The Naked Gun," but when has a little thing like that ever stopped this industry from trying anyway? With several recent legacy sequels and reboots proving successful at the box office in the post-pandemic landscape, Paramount is moving forward with yet another one of their own. Renowned among viewers of a certain vintage for its slapstick, laugh-a-minute joys that rival the likes of "Airplane!" or "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," the original "The Naked Gun" is now being brought back with with actor Liam Neeson negotiating to star.

This news comes courtesy of Deadline, which reports that "The Lonely Island" veteran Akiva Schaffer is on board to direct the project alongside screenwriters Dan Gregor and Doug Mand ("Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers"), both of whom are taking over for previous draft writers Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin.

Stepping into the exceedingly dry shoes of Leslie Nielsen is no small matter, but Liam Neeson is going to give it a shot with a new Naked Gun reboot. Hollywood has been attempting to reboot the franchise for a number of years, with Ed Helms (The Office) once slated to play Detective Frank Drebin, but Deadline has reported that Paramount Pictures is officially moving forward with a new Naked Gunn reboot directed by Akiva Schaffer and that Liam Neeson is in negotiations to star.

Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who wrote Akiva Schaffer’s Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, have also closed a deal to pen the script for The Naked Gun reboot. The previous draft was written by Mark Hentemann & Alec Sulkin. Schaffer will also executive produce the reboot, with Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins producing through their Fuzzy Door production banner. Plot details about the reboot are...