It’s safe to say that Liam Neeson has mastered the art of disguise in the trailer for the new Naked Gun reboot.
In the clip, which was unveiled at CinemaCon and shared online, a sweet, seemingly innocent little schoolgirl can be seen sneaking her way into an active hostage situation before authorities can stop her. When she enters the building, she’s confronted by a group of baddies.
“What do you want, little one?” a gunman asks her before she suddenly rips off her mask to reveal she’s actually Neeson. He then menacingly quips back, “Your ass.”
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‘The Naked Gun’ trailer. Paramount Pictures
The 72-year-old actor then begins sawing down villains left and right using a lollipop while still dressed in his now teeny tiny schoolgirl ensemble, which has transformed into a tied-up blouse and plaid mini-skirt. When one of the rescued hostages asks for his name, Neeson replies, “Frank Drebin, police squad. The new version!”
The camera then, naturally, pans back to reveal Drebin in a power pose, with his strawberry-themed boxers on full display.
Neeson’s character is the son of the original Frank Drebin, who was played in the beloved comedy franchise by the late Leslie Nielsen. He can be seen paying tribute to his dad, who is described on a plaque as the “all-time bad guy catcher,” in the trailer. “Hi, Daddy, it’s me, Frank Jr,” he says. “Love you.”
He’s not alone in honoring his lineage either — an entire collection of officers can be seen weeping in front of their famous relatives’ plaques in the clip. That includes Paul Walter Hauser, who is set to play the son of Captain Ed Hocken (George Kennedy). “Hey, Dad,” he adds. “Boy, do I miss you.”
However, there’s one officer who will not be receiving his flowers: O.J. Simpson’s Officer Nordberg. After briefly cutting to his portrait, another officer can simply be seen shaking his head in response.
Written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer, the film features a cast including Pamela Anderson, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, Eddie Yu, and Danny Houston. The film, which is also directed by Schaffer, is the first Naked Gun installment since the release of 1994’s Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.
The Naked Gun explodes into theaters on Aug. 1. For now, watch the trailer above.
