Naked Gun Is Back With Coffee Shops and Crime Scenes

For almost 40 years now, audiences have delighted in the sound of bone-crunching slapstick as it’s applied to the investigation of high-stakes crime. The Naked Gun, one of the most enduring spoof comedy franchises of all time, is getting a new installment in 2025 after years of false starts. The exact date is August 1, while the cast is rounded out by Paul Walter Hauser and Pamela Anderson.

Unlike previous entries in the series, the new Naked Gun movie is being billed as a “legacy sequel.” This means that, rather than featuring Leslie Nielsen’s former character Frank Drebin, the new installment will follow the character of Drebin’s son. The title of the film has not been announced, and the official plot has been kept under wraps too, but Liam Neeson—who plays Drebin’s son—opened up on what to expect.

Where Are The Naked Gun Sequels?

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! First opened in cinemas in 1988 and became a hit almost immediately, its big-screen version of the short-lived 1972 Police Squad! Television show. It featured Nielsen in the role of Detective Frank Drebin, who is trying to prevent an assassination attempt against Queen Elizabeth II in the United States. The uniquely daffy tone and extravagant set pieces caught on with audiences, and soon the series went on to spawn two sequels. The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear appeared in 1991 and had Drebin face off against a villain trying to kidnap a leading nuclear scientist. The 1994 Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult saw Drebin come out of retirement to stop a plot to blow up the Academy Awards.

Attempts at reviving the franchise did not get far after the third film’s release, though it wasn’t until 2013 that a reboot was first given the green light by Paramount. The initial project had The Office star Ed Helms cast as “Frank Drebin, no relation.” The project quickly fell apart, with part of the reason attributed to former director/producer David Zucker’s refusal to get involved. Zucker refused to help reboot the series, as he thought that any attempt would be “inferior” to the original films. He did briefly return to the franchise in 2017, penning some work on a film that put Drebin’s son in the role of a secret agent. But that too never came to pass, and it wasn’t until 2021 that the series got the go-ahead again with Seth MacFarlane attached, again without Zucker. Liam Neeson entered the frame next and was cast as Frank Drebin Jr.

The Cast of the Naked Gun Sequel

Paul Walter Hauser is co-starring in the latest installment in the series as Captain Ed Hocken, Jr., Drebin Sr’s longtime partner, son of original character Ed Hocken. Hauser has been tapped to star as Mole Man in the Fantastic Four: First Steps film as well. Pamela Anderson is playing a femme fatale named Beth, whose brother has been murdered and for whom Drebin Jr. is trying to solve the case. Co-stars Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, and Eddy Yu are also appearing in the movie, which will be shot in and around Los Angeles.

In April, the first teaser for the upcoming comedy was released, with many negative comments about the possible direction of the film. David Zucker, who has remained protective of the original films since, released a statement to TMZ, in which he claimed to regret even having seen the teaser, and that “I can’t unsee it.” There is some good news, however. Liam Neeson seems to be embracing the screwball feel of the series to the full. Not only has he been parodying his well-known and overly stoic “particular set of skills” character from the Taken franchise, but Neeson has been let loose to do his own thing here. A scene from the trailer shows him saying, “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back,” before tearing off his attacker’s arms and using them as weapons. “A voice in your head saying over and over ‘That was awesome,’” he adds.

Drebin Jr. and Ed Jr. also get a bit choked up in front of some commemorative plaques for their fathers in another sincere nod to the history of Police Squad in the trailer. But it’s not all sob stories in the film, as has been the case in Naked Gun history. Beth needs Drebin Jr.’s help in the plot, which is, in reality, to solve the murder of her brother. If he doesn’t, the Police Squad will be closed. The gravity of such a position is given a typically Naked Gun spin, however, with one suspect in the crime stating he has served 20 years for “man’s laughter.” The correct term being “manslaughter,” Drebin responds dryly, “Must have been quite the joke.”

Elsewhere, Drebin Jr. seizes a bathroom at a coffee shop for “police business,” then returns to get his confiscated weapons, while he marches past his staff as if he’s just won an Olympic race, all before shouting “HANG ON A MINUTE!” at one point. With bonkers one-liners like these and Neeson fully on board with the tone of the movie, it’s looking like he’s more than up for the badge, or at least falling over trying to get it.

It may be too broad and punny for some, but it’s precisely the sort of nonsense that made the originals work so well. The Naked Gun looks set to finally deliver the summer, nostalgic fun it’s been promising after its April teaser dropped.