"The Naked Gun" Trailer: Liam Neeson Stumbles into Slapstick Mayhem as Detective Frank Drebin Jr. in Upcoming Reboot with Paul Walter Hauser and Pamela Anderson
Deadpan detective mayhem ensues as Drebin Jr. (Neeson) stumbles through pratfalls, potty gags, and lollipop stabbings to crack a murder conspiracy.
There’s no way to sugarcoat it. The world is a mess right now. It feels like we’re on the precipice of something extremely alarming... something we might not be able to come back from. Every headline screams urgency, every scroll through social media feels like doom. And we can only imagine the depression rate is climbing with each new cycle of bad news exploding on our feeds.
Now imagine: if only there were a movie coming out this summer that might—just might—give us the kind of cathartic release we desperately need right now. Something that doesn't just distract, but uplifts. That reminds us there's still beauty, humor, connection—even in the mess. A story that lets us exhale, even for a little while, and believe in each other once more.
Well, that movie ain’t happening... Instead, we’ve got the upcoming Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson as Detective Frank Drebin... Junior!
And it might not be the feel-good movie of the year, but it could be the ridiculously silly farce we didn’t know we needed. Because sometimes, when the world feels like it’s collapsing under the weight of its own seriousness, the best medicine isn’t another thinkpiece... it’s a pratfall, or an "I’m going to poo my pants" joke, or an irreverent O.J. Simpson reference, or a silly fellatio gag.
It’s Liam Neeson playing against type, with a deadpan expression while stumbling through absurdity with a badge. The Naked Gun reboot may not solve our existential dread, but if it can make us laugh—truly, uncontrollably laugh—then maybe it’s doing something important. Because laughter might be the most subversive form of hope we’ve got left.
So get your “glocks out,” because Neeson is out to rid crime the only way he knows how: stabbing evildoers with a pointed lollipop while dressed in a Girl Scout outfit. But he ain't selling cookies... he's serving justice, one absurd gag at a time. Just like what that great 20th-century genius poet, KRS-One, once said, “Woop! Woop! ... that's the sound of da police!”
Directed by Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, who helmed the cult comedy classics Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping and Hot Rod, this reboot sees Neeson as Detective Frank Drebin Jr., who, very much like his father, awkwardly stumbles into a murder case that somehow spirals into a larger conspiracy. And in true Naked Gun fashion, the fate of the Police Squad falls into Frank’s hands. So he must solve the case before it wildly derails into a barrage of slapstick chaos and misunderstandings.
Produced by Seth MacFarlane and based on the spoof franchise created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the cop comedy also stars Paul Walter Hauser as Capt. Ed Hocken (Junior), Frank’s partner; Pamela Anderson as the femme fatale Beth whose brother’s murder sets the wheels in motion; and CCH Pounder as the police chief. Rounding out the cast are Danny Huston, Kevin Durand, Busta Rhymes, and Liza Koshy.
The Naked Gun is hitting theaters August 11th.
Official 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.
