Can Liam Neeson successfully revive the deadpan legacy of the iconic Frank Drebin?
In short: After decades of stalled development, the Naked Gun franchise returned in 2025 with Liam Neeson stepping into the shoes of the legendary Frank Drebin. This legacy sequel, directed by Akiva Schaffer, attempts to balance nostalgic slapstick with modern sensibilities, proving that the spoof genre still has a pulse in Hollywood.
The path to the 2025 film was notoriously circuitous. Following the 1994 release of The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, various attempts to revive the franchise languished for years. Early efforts included a direct-to-TV sequel starring Leslie Nielsen that was cancelled in 2009, and a 2013 reboot attempt featuring Ed Helms. David Zucker, a co-creator of the original trilogy, was approached for several iterations but ultimately declined involvement, citing creative differences and a belief that the studio's modern standards for comedy were too restrictive.
Development finally gained momentum in 2021 when Seth MacFarlane was hired to shepherd the project, with a clear vision of casting Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. The film, which was greenlit in October 2022, follows Drebin's son as he attempts to save Police Squad while navigating a plot involving a device designed to revert humans to their primitive nature. Filming took place in Atlanta in mid-2024 on a $42 million budget, culminating in a theatrical release on August 1, 2025.
The film was a commercial and critical success, grossing $102.1 million worldwide and earning an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics praised Neeson’s ability to anchor the film’s absurdity with his signature gravitas, though some noted the challenge of matching the unique, eerie innocence that Leslie Nielsen brought to the original role. Despite the film's positive reception and the creative team's interest in a potential follow-up, the future of the franchise remains uncertain due to shifting ownership and strategic priorities at Paramount Pictures.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: The Naked Gun (2025 film)
- Also: Wikidata — The Naked Gun · CC0
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