The Naked Gun is really special for me. Those movies were my introduction to the great Leslie Nielsen, and I went back and rewatched all of the old episodes of Police Squad! as well as his other hilarious comedies with Zucker, Abrams, and Zucker. So I’ve never been that excited for this reboot starring Liam Neeson, even though people kept telling me he could be just as goofy as Nielsen used to be as Frank Drebin. I just didn’t see it.
Okay, I was wrong. You got me. The Naked Gun looks every bit as silly as its predecessors, and Neeson right at home as Frank Drebin Jr. The newly-released teaser is pure Police Squad! stuff, with Drebin posing as a schoolgirl to infiltrate a bank full of armed criminals. The best bit is when Drebin stops to say a few words to a photo of his father, Nielsen’s Frank Drebin Sr., and that’s followed by an entire squad of cops doing the same…except for the Black cop who refuses to do it in front of a photo of OJ Simpson, who played Drebin’s colleague, Nordberg, in all three Naked Gun movies. Yeah, that would’ve been awkward!
SYNOPSIS: Only one man has the particular set of skills… to lead Police Squad and save the world! Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) follows in his father’s footsteps in THE NAKED GUN, directed by Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) and from producer Seth MacFarlane (Ted, Family Guy). Joining the case are cast Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy, Eddie Yu, with Danny Huston.
The Naked Gun hits theaters on August 1st from Paramount Pictures!
