Who would have thought that Liam Neeson could be the next Leslie Nielsen? The “Taken” icon and late comedy legend are now sharing more than just initials: Neeson is playing the son of Nielsen’s beloved “The Naked Gun” character Frank Drebin, who Nielsen portrayed in the ’80s TV series “Police Squad!” and original “Naked Gun” film franchise. It’s now Neeson’s turn to be Frank Drebin Jr., yet another hapless detective like his father whose cases always become a comedy of errors.
“The Naked Gun” reboot is directed by “SNL” and The Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer, with Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins producing. Schaffer co-wrote the script with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Both Schaffer and Daniel M. Stillman executive produce.
“The Naked Gun” stars Neeson as the next generation of Drebins. The official synopsis reads: “Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Neeson) follows in his father’s footsteps in ‘The Naked Gun.’” Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, and Danny Huston co-star.
Neeson previously told ComingSoon.com that he felt “slightly nervous” about leading a sequel to the iconic comedy films. Neeson says he knows his comedy chops have “to be proven.”
“It’s a good script,” Neeson said. “Akiva Schaffer from the world of ‘SNL’ is co-writing and he’s the director. So we’ll see. We’re still in the casting process for the other parts, but the script, there’s some very funny laugh out loud moments.”
Meanwhile, “The Last Showgirl” star said during “Late Night with Seth Meyers” that Neeson was “hysterical” in the role. “All this ‘Saturday Night Live’ crew, [Schaffer’s] buddies, were there just throwing out jokes,” she said. “Some were funny, some weren’t, but some were — most of them were funny. Liam is hysterical. You’re not going to see it coming. That’s how good he is. It was really hard to keep a straight face. I was also afraid to meet Liam, but Liam is also just a wonderful, generous person. And what an honor.”
Anderson added that the film is a “high comedy,” and true to the tone of the originals. “I’m literally running into walls, which I’ve always wanted to do,” Anderson said. “And Liam is such a gentleman. He’s such a sweetheart, such a love, and we just had a great connection. And Akiva is a wonderful director. But what a difference, going from an indie film to a Paramount [movie with] ‘Naked Gun.’”
“The Naked Gun” premieres Friday, August 1 in theaters from Paramount Pictures. Check out the teaser below.
