After many years of dormancy, the parody movies genre finally seems to be making a comeback in its signature, cartoonishly over-the-top style. In addition to the latest upcoming Scary Movie sequel, another new installment of a beloved franchise of spoofs is on its way in the form of a reboot of The Naked Gun.
However, reports claim that this is not merely a remake of the wonderfully ridiculous ‘80s movie classic that spawned two sequels and made the late Leslie Nielsen — as Lt. Frank Drebin — the patron saint of the send-up, but a continuation. That leaves us with questions — such as who is on the case this time, who is at the helm, and will it be funny? We’ll just take things one at a time with our following guide to the upcoming new Naked Gun movie.
What Is The Naked Gun Release Date?
If you take a look at our upcoming 2025 movie schedule, you will see a spot for The Naked Gun, which is currently set to hit theaters on July 18, 2025, to be exact. That means it will be coming more than 30 years after the release of the franchise’s last installment, 1994’s The Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult. Well, it appears that threequel was not the final insult after all.
An Update To The Classic Crime Spoof
According to an exclusive report by Deadline from 2022, this reboot of 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! — a spin-off of the short-lived series, Police Squad!, from the team behind Airplane! — is more of a “requel.” Instead of a new actor filling Leslie Nielsen’s shoes in the role of Lt. Frank Drebin, the film will follow the bumbling detective’s son on a new case that is sure to have its fair share of uproarious hijinks.
This reported detail is reassuring for a couple different reasons. For one, it is impossible to imagine anyone but Nielsen playing his most iconic character and, also, with how many disappointing movie remakes there are, to see this latest installment attempt to continue the story instead of copy it seems like the best course of action. Additionally, there are some who argue that the original is an example of an ‘80s movie that has not stood the test of time, particularly because it features O.J. Simpson in the supporting role of Det. Nordberg. In that regard, The Naked Gun might actually be due for a revisit.
Liam Neeson Leads The Naked Gun Cast
Even with the reported information that the original Frank Drebin role is not being recast, it does seem strange to continue this franchise without Nielsen. However, when you see who is leading the new Naked Gun cast, you might be willing to give it a shot.
Liam Neeson (Frank Drebin, Jr.)
Reportedly playing Frank Drebin, Jr. is Liam Neeson, who is certainly no stranger to great action movies as the lead of the Taken series, for instance. Yet, the Academy Award nominee (for Schindler’s List) has slightly less experience with comedy, save notable examples like The LEGO Movie or his bold cameo in Atlanta in which his overly serious demeanor is part of the joke. That being said, considering how Nielsen always played Drebin straight amongst the story’s surrounding lunacy, the Irish actor’s signature intensity might be a perfect fit.
Paul Walter Hauser (Capt. Ed Hocken)
An exclusive report by Deadline from May 2024 says that Paul Walter Hauser will play Capt. Ed Hocken, but we are going to assume that he is intended to be the son of George Kennedy’s original character if we are to believe Neeson is the original Drebin’s son. The actor — who is also set to play Chris Farley in an upcoming biopic and has an unknown role in MCU’s Fantastic Four reboot — is known for Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya, Cruella, his Emmy-nominated role in Apple TV+’s Black Bird, voicing Embarrassment in Pixar’s Inside Out 2, and more.
Pamela Anderson
Pamela Anderson’s unnamed role in The Naked Gun is described by THR as a love interest to Drebin in the spirit of Priscilla Presley’s Jane Spencer from the original trilogy. This is the former Baywatch star’s first main role in a major motion picture in years, with previous examples including the title hero of a comic book movie that might be due for a reboot as well: 1996’s Barb Wire.
Kevin Durand
On the red carpet for the Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes premiere, Kevin Durand described his Naked Gun role to ET as a “‘90s villain” to explain his blonde hairdo. The Canadian actor already has quite a few antagonistic character under his belt — such as Jeeves Tremor in Smokin’ Aces, Officer Caruso in Fruitvale Station, and Frederick Gideon on Netflix’s Locke & Key. Of course, he has also been on the other side, like in Radio Silence’s vampire film, Abigail, most recently.
Danny Huston
We would not be surprised if Durand’s X: Men: Origins: Wolverine co-star, Danny Huston, also played a villain in The Naked Gun, considering his own collection of adversarial credits — such as the lead vampire in 30 Days of Night and in another upcoming reboot: 2024’s The Crow. The actor’s most notable credits also include one of Martin Scorsese’s best movies, The Aviator; Alfonso Cuaron’s 2006 post-apocalyptic thriller, Children of Men; and plenty more acclaimed titles.
Liza Koshy
Also in an undisclosed role is viral sensation Liza Koshy, who already has a few franchises on her resume — namely with her roles in Paramount+’s Good Burger 2 and the Transformers: Rise of the Beasts voice cast as Arcee. She also faced off against danger in the Hulu horror TV show Freakish and put her dancing abilities to great use in Netflix’s Work It in 2020.
Cody Rhodes
In the tradition of casting athletes in The Naked Gun franchise — such as the aforementioned O.J. Simpson and Reggie Jackson as himself — professional wrestler Cody Rhodes is in the reboot. No word on if he is playing himself, like he did on Netflix’s animated series, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix, but, he has played original characters, too, like Stardust dealer Derek Sampson on Arrow.
CCH Pounder
Speaking of DC TV show veterans, we have CCH Pounder, who is known for voicing Amanda Waller in Justice League and other animated comic book adaptations. The four-time Emmy nominee (for guest roles on The X-Files and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and regular supporting roles on ER and The Shield) is also known for movies like Face/Off, James Cameron’s Avatar films, and the Oscar-nominated Rustin.
Busta Rhymes
In the tradition of casting musicians in The Naked Gun franchise — such as “Weird Al” Yankovic, who appears in all three original installments — the film will also feature Grammy-nominated rap artist Busta Rhymes, who has been in movies like 1995’s Higher Learning, Halloween: Resurrection from 2002, and another requel from 2000, Shaft. He also had a recurring stint on The Boondocks as Flonominal and has played himself a number of times, like on Netflix’s Master of None.
The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer Is Directing
Succeeding the directorial position from David Zucker — who also co-wrote the first two films with his brother Jerry, Jim Abrahams, and Pat Proft — and Peter Segal (who helmed the third installment) is Akiva Schaffer. The filmmaker is best known for his collaborations with the other two members of The Lonely Island (Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone) — such as his directorial debut, 2007’s Hot Rod, and one of the best music movies, 2016’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. His more recent feature-length effort was a pretty successful reboot, Disney+’s Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers from 2022, which gives us reason to believe he is the right choice to helm this Naked Gun requel.
Schaffer also shares credit with Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Mark Hentemann, and Alec Sulkin for penning the screenplay, which comes from a story imagined by producer Seth MacFarlane. The movie will actually mark the comedian’s latest of several collaborations with Neeson, who has voiced himself a few times on Family Guy, was the main antagonist of A Million Ways to Die in the West, had a funny Ted 2 cameo, and guest-starred on The Orville.
The Naked Gun Started Shooting In May 2024
Early reports — such as from The Cinemaholic — said that cameras were set to start rolling on The Naked Gun in May 2024. Kevin Durand would confirm those claims during his aforementioned interview with ET from early that month. Thus, we can hopefully expect to see the comedy arrive in theaters right on schedule.
How To Watch The Original Naked Gun Movies
What better way to keep you occupied as you wait for the Naked Gun reboot to release than by watching the original trilogy. Luckily, all you need to relive (or even discover) the first film, 1991’s The Naked Gun 2-1/2: The Smell of Fear, and the third installment is a Max subscription. Unfortunately, the short-lived series that started it all, Police Squad!, is not on streaming, but can be purchased on physical media.
That’s all that we can uncover about the Naked Gun reboot for now. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates.