On April 3, 2025, Paramount Pictures unveiled the first teaser trailer for The Naked Gun reboot at CinemaCon, with a full trailer following on June 16, 2025, showcasing Liam Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of the iconic bumbling detective from the original films. Directed by Akiva Schaffer and produced by Seth MacFarlane, the film, set for release on August 1, 2025, in the United States, promises a legacy sequel that blends nostalgic absurdity with modern action-comedy flair, filmed in Atlanta, Georgia.
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The trailers, packed with gags like Neeson wielding a sharpened lollipop in a schoolgirl disguise, have sparked buzz for reviving the beloved franchise.
A Legacy Reborn with Liam Neeson’s Comedic Chops
The Naked Gun franchise, a cornerstone of slapstick comedy, returns after a 31-year hiatus since Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult (1994). Originally created by the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker (ZAZ) team, the series began with the TV show Police Squad! (1982) and spawned three films starring Leslie Nielsen as the hilariously inept Frank Drebin. The 2025 reboot introduces Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., following in his father’s footsteps as a member of the elite Police Squad. The teaser and official trailers, released on April 3 and June 16, 2025, respectively, highlight Neeson’s unexpected comedic prowess, spoofing his action-hero persona from Taken with lines like, “Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world!”
Trailer Highlights: Absurdity Meets Action
The teaser trailer opens with a tense bank robbery, disrupted by a schoolgirl with a lollipop who reveals herself as Neeson’s Drebin Jr., dispatching robbers with a sharpened lollipop stick and deadpan delivery. The full trailer doubles down on the humor, showing Drebin commandeering a coffee shop bathroom for “police business” and ripping off a villain’s arms to use as weapons, all while poking fun at his Taken catchphrase: “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back.” A standout gag features the Police Squad sobbing before plaques of their fathers—Frank Drebin Sr., Ed Hocken (George Kennedy), and, controversially, Nordberg (O.J. Simpson)—with Drebin Jr. shaking his head at Nordberg’s photo, a sharp nod to the franchise’s edgy humor. Fans on X praised the “OJ jab” as “hysterical” and the squad’s emotional scene as “right out of the originals.”
Cast and Creative Team
Directed by Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping), with a script co-written by Schaffer, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, the film is produced by Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, Ted). Neeson leads as Frank Drebin Jr., joined by Pamela Anderson as Beth, Paul Walter Hauser as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr., Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, CCH Pounder, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, and Eddie Yu. The trailers showcase Anderson’s dynamic entrance and Hauser’s comedic timing, evoking the original’s ensemble energy. MacFarlane’s involvement, paired with Schaffer’s experience in absurd comedy, promises a film that honors the ZAZ legacy while updating it for modern audiences.
Nostalgia vs. New Direction
The trailers balance homage to the original’s deadpan absurdity with a glossier, action-heavy aesthetic. While Leslie Nielsen played Frank Drebin Sr. as a clueless hero stumbling into success, Neeson’s Drebin Jr. appears more competent, blending Taken-style grit with screwball gags. Some fans on X expressed concern that the “glossy, digital” look and self-aware humor stray from the “grainy, Looney Tunes” vibe of the originals, with one user comparing it to a “Family Guy episode.” Others, however, lauded the fresh approach, noting, “The cops being descendants of the originals is hilarious,” and appreciating Neeson’s deadpan delivery as a worthy successor. The trailers’ density of jokes, like the lollipop shiv and emotional squad scene, suggests a return to the rapid-fire humor that defined the franchise.
A Troubled Development Journey
The reboot’s path began in 2009 with a direct-to-TV project, The Naked Gun 4: Rhythm of Evil, featuring Nielsen mentoring a younger officer. After Nielsen’s death in 2010, the project evolved, with Ed Helms briefly attached in 2013 to play a new Frank Drebin. By 2017, David Zucker and Pat Proft reworked the script to focus on Drebin’s son as a secret agent, titled Naked: Impossible. Seth MacFarlane joined in 2021, casting Neeson, and the project shifted to a theatrical legacy sequel. Original creator David Zucker expressed dissatisfaction with the April teaser, telling TMZ he “couldn’t unsee it,” but the June trailer’s reception suggests the film has found its comedic footing.
-By Manoj H