Liam Neeson is an actor known for a very particular set of skills. Over the past 15 years, those skills have mostly involved looking tough, delivering threatening lines, and taking down bad guys in a series of action-packed “geriaction” films — from the Taken franchise to The Grey, The Commuter, and most recently, In the Land of Saints and Sinners. But now, in Akiva Schaffer’s long-awaited reboot of The Naked Gun, Neeson is showing off a very different skill — comedy. Schaffer, best known as a member of The Lonely Island, is bringing the spoof comedy classic back to life, and if the first trailer is anything to go by, Neeson’s Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. won’t be killing villains this time… just killing us with laughter.
Hands up — who had “Liam Neeson shivving bad guys with a sharpened lollipop while dressed as a schoolgirl” on their 2025 bingo card?
Yeah, same. But guess what? It’s real — and it’s hilarious.
In this delightfully bizarre first look at The Naked Gun reboot, director Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) lets Liam Neeson go full absurd as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. — the son of Leslie Nielsen’s legendary cop from Police Squad. And Neeson’s not just along for the ride — he’s all in.
We get tighty whiteys.
We get slow-motion stares into the camera.
We get the deadpan delivery: “I’m from Police Squad… the new version.”
The trailer also shows Drebin Jr. paying tribute to his late father, while Paul Walter Hauser’s Capt. Ed Hocken carries on the name and legacy of his own predecessor (yep, that Hocken). The entire new-look Police Squad follows suit, with even a bold, darkly funny wink at O.J. Simpson’s Nordberg from the original films.
We don’t see much in terms of plot, but the tone? Nailed it.
It’s a perfect mashup of:
- The Lonely Island’s brand of modern absurdist humor (Hot Rod, Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, SNL classics)
- Classic ZAZ-style parody mayhem from the original Naked Gun trilogy
Bottom line?
It’s chaotic, over-the-top, and exactly what a Naked Gun reboot should be.
The trailer might be short, but the full cast is anything but. Joining Liam Neeson and Paul Walter Hauser are comedy and action heavy-hitters like Pamela Anderson, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, WWE superstar Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston.
So — will this reboot be a total knockout or just a swing and a miss?
With Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer in the director’s chair, backed by writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, and a cast ready to go all-in on the absurdity, we’re hopeful it’ll be the real deal. Get ready to cop a load of The Naked Gun — hitting cinemas soon.
