Liam Neeson is suiting up as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. in the first trailer for The Naked Gun, and yes, it’s as gloriously dumb as you’d hope. The teaser was shown as part of Paramount’s CinemaCon presentation this year. Take a look above.
This reboot introduces Neeson as the son of the famously incompetent cop made iconic by Leslie Nielsen. From the looks of things, the family legacy of deadpan chaos is alive and well—whether it’s busting criminals while dressed as a schoolgirl or getting emotional over a photo of dear ol’ dad. Asked who he is, Neeson solemnly responds, “Frank Drebin. Police Squad.” He stares straight into the camera. “The new version.”
It’s just a teaser, but it’s enough to see that the modern take looks to lean into the same brand of absurdist, spoof-heavy humour that defined the original Neeson-starring trilogy that launched in 1988. There’s also a moment that acknowledges the original run’s legacy – with a not-so-subtle nod to O.J. Simpson, who played Nordberg.
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The cast features Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston.
The film is directed by Akiva Schaffer, director of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and The Watch, and a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island. The screenplay comes from Schaffer, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand, with Family Guy and Ted creator Seth MacFarlane producing alongside Erica Huggins.
The Naked Gun hits U.S. cinemas on August 1st and Australian cinemas on August 28th.
