‘The Naked Gun’ Trailer: Liam Neeson Nails Leslie Nielsen’s Deadpan Style

Paramount Pictures has dropped the trailer for its reboot of the classic 1988 comedy The Naked Gun, a series originally spun from the TV show Police Squad! Known for its sharp parody of police procedurals, the franchise earned a cult following and three hit films throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s. This time, Liam Neeson plays Lt. Frank Drebin, Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s iconic Frank Drebin. Alongside Neeson, Pamela Anderson takes over as the leading lady, while Paul Walter Hauser plays Captain Ed. The supporting cast includes Danny Huston, Kevin Durand, and Liza Koshy.

The trailer shows Neeson effortlessly delivering deadpan humor, fully embracing the jokes while playing up his serious action-star image. Pamela Anderson also shines, clearly enjoying herself in the role.

At last year’s Zurich Film Festival, Anderson shared, “Liam is hysterical in it,” highlighting the surprising comedic chemistry between the new leads. Neeson himself spoke to People about working with Anderson, saying, “With Pamela, first off, I’m madly in love with her. She’s just terrific to work with. I can’t compliment her enough… She’s funny and so easy to work with. She’s going to be terrific in the film.” Despite his action-star background, Neeson admitted some nerves tackling a full-length comedy: “Yes, I’m honored to be offered the part of Frank Drebin, and a little bit nervous about it because I’ve done a couple of skits before that were just very short TV things, but this would be, I don’t know, 95, 100 minutes of a film,” he told Collider.

The reboot is helmed by Akiva Schaffer, known for his work with comedy group The Lonely Island, with a script co-written by Schaffer, Dan Gregor, and Doug Mand. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins serve as producers. This fresh take promises to keep the original’s spirit alive while adding a modern twist, set to hit theaters August 1.

For Anderson, this reboot marks a high-profile return to comedy after her acclaimed performance in The Last Showgirl. Speaking on Late Night with Seth Meyers, she called the “high comedy” style of The Naked Gun a dream project and praised the Saturday Night Live writers who contributed fresh jokes on set.

With its mix of seasoned talent and new energy, the reboot aims to deliver laughs while paying homage to a comedy classic. Whether Neeson’s career takes a comedic turn or this is a one-off experiment remains to be seen. One thing’s for sure, expect the unexpected.

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