The three “The Naked Gun” films are among the most iconic comedies of all. A reboot with Liam Neeson has been planned for some time. Now a team has been hired for it that has already revived another cult brand this year.
For almost ten years, there have been plans to continue or remake the “The Naked Gun” series. Initially, “Hangover” star Ed Helms was supposed to take the lead role. But in the meantime Liam Neeson is in negotiations to take over from comedy legend Leslie Nielsen. For a long time, however, nothing was really concrete, which is finally changing: With Akiva Schaffer, the “Naked Gun” reboot finally has a director, and with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, it also has two screenwriters. This is reported by Deadline.
Together, the trio most recently made the cult revival “Chip and Chap – Knights of the Law” for Disney+. So they have experience with remakes of well-known brands – and they did it successfully: “‘Chip & Chap – The Knights of the Law’ is a briskly told, deliberately chaotic mishmash of numerous influences that pokes fun at Hollywood’s lack of ideas with self-deprecating wit,” says our FILMSTARTS review
“THE NAKED GUN” WITH LIAM NEESON INSTEAD OF LESLIE NIELSEN
“The Naked Gun” (1988), “The Naked Gun 2 1/2” (1991) and “The Naked Gun 33 1/3” (1994) are just as loopy as the titles suggest: veritable gag fireworks in which one bizarre line of dialogue chases the next, while slapstick moments and visual jokes in the background seal every little humour hole. Leslie Nielsen finally became a comedy icon with the trilogy, having first attracted widespread attention in a comedic role with “The Incredible Journey in a Crazy Airplane” (1980).
But Leslie Nielsen died in 2010 at the age of 84. So now a successor has to be found for the remake. Back at the beginning of 2021, we reported that “Ted” director and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, who is producing the “The Naked Gun” reboot, wants to win Liam Neeson for the role. As Deadline now reports, the action star is still in negotiations for the role, which may be the son of Leslie Nielsen’s Detective Frank Drebin. For Liam Neeson fans, such a funny comedy part would be very unusual, as the superstar has recently been more subscribed to beer-soaked action thrillers.
However, Liam Neeson has not always been a pure action star. For a long time, he mainly starred in (often historical) dramas, including an Oscar nomination thanks to “Schindler’s List”. Later, franchise blockbusters such as “Star Wars – Episode 1” and “Batman Begins” were added to his CV. It was not until “96 Hours” that his career as a one-man army began at the ripe old age of 56.
Should Liam Neeson now also mutate into a comedy hero, it would not be the first sudden transformation in his career. And why not? In a brief guest appearance in “Ted 2” he has already shown that he certainly has the talent to be funny.
One thing should be clear though: Even though his name sounds similar, Liam Neeson is no Leslie Nielsen. So the makers of the new “The Naked Gun” movie should try to feed Neeson’s individual persona with tailor-made gags instead of remaking him into a Nielsen 2.0….
When we can expect the “The Naked Gun” reboot is not yet known. As of now, not even Liam Neeson’s participation is in the bag. So we will have to be patient…
