Neeson’s Drebin Jr. Has a Particular Set of Laughs

It’s been over three decades since audiences first heard the signature screech of Fratelli Brothers slapstick crime-solving, but that look of love is finally returning to theaters. The Naked Gun, the cult spoof-comedy franchise that paired broad-gag plotting with even broader farce, is officially coming back for its first new film in 29 years. Released on August 1, 2025, The Naked Gun: The Anything Goes Gang Returns will be the first film in the series not to star Leslie Nielsen as dimwit detective Frank Drebin, but instead star Liam Neeson as his fictionalized son in a “legacy sequel.”

The first The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! was released in 1988, introducing Nielsen’s portly and pompously serious cop to the world. A master of understatement and self-parody, Drebin tried and failed to stop an assassination plot against Queen Elizabeth II in the U.S. to earn the love of his longtime partner and secret admirer, Jane (Priscilla Barnes). The over-the-top low-budget comedy was a hit with audiences, who craved Nielsen’s constant literal deadpan delivery in the age of Reagan. A second Naked Gun film was released in 1991: The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, which had Drebin working on the case of a kidnapped nuclear physicist. Two years later, Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult had Drebin coming out of semi-retirement to foil a bombing plot against the Academy Awards.

But after that third film, the popular series stalled, unable to get off the ground despite constant efforts to continue the franchise. In 2013, Paramount and Netflix had plans for a reboot starring Office alum Ed Helms as Frank Drebin, “no relation.” But, despite Nielsen’s passing in 2010, the series never got off the ground. Initial script work was passed by David Zucker, the original producer and director of the first two Naked Gun films. Zucker, protective of the intellectual legacy of Police Squad!, didn’t want to take part in what he assumed would be an “inferior” version of the series. But, in 2017, Zucker came back to do some rewrite work on a spin-off concept where Drebin’s son was revealed to be a secret agent. Drebin himself was not to be included in the secret-agent spin-off, and it too died on the vine.

It was not until 2021 that The Naked Gun once again started up, with Seth MacFarlane back on board as producer and director, and, notably, without David Zucker. By then, Liam Neeson was attached to the project as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the detective of the same name and now a police lieutenant in his own right.

A Cast of Characters Returns

Costar Paul Walter Hauser is cast as Captain Ed Hocken, Jr., the son of Drebin Sr’s longtime badge-sharing partner. Hauser is also currently set to portray the Fantastic Four villain Mole Man in Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pamela Anderson plays the sultry, mysterious femme fatale Beth, who enlists Drebin Jr. to help her figure out who killed her brother and which, as the uncredited voice-over informs us in the trailer, is the first step in an assassination plot against President Biden on Inauguration Day. Other cast members include Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, and Eddy Yu.

The film’s first teaser was released in April, garnering a lukewarm reception from audiences and original series producer David Zucker. Speaking to TMZ, Zucker said, “I went on YouTube and watched the teaser. I shouldn’t have done it. I can’t unsee it.” But on a brighter note, despite the wide and obvious chasm of comedic generations between Zucker and Neeson, the new lead is embracing the series’ absurdist tone with vigor. A wink to the Taken franchise and Neeson’s trademark “particular set of skills” characterization are evident throughout. When Drebin Jr. is attacked early in the trailer, he first grimly intones, “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back,” before proceeding to tear off his attacker’s arms with his bare hands and beat him with them. “A voice in your head saying over and over, ‘That was awesome,’” he quips later.

In one particularly moving moment, both Frank and Ed Jr. break down and tear up when they see their fathers’ names on commemorative plaques in the department. That mix of spectacle, whimsy, and homage to the original generation of Police Squad is core to what made this new Naked Gun potential tick.

Humor aside, the overarching story driving the gags in this new film involves Beth’s murdered brother and a larger assassination plot against the President. As outlined in the trailer, Beth hires Drebin Jr. to take on the case. If he’s unable to stop it, the Police Squad will be disbanded. The story is silly, of course. One of the suspects, Drebin and Ed Jr., investigate claims to have done 20 years in prison for “man’s laughter,” to which Drebin corrects: “Manslaughter. Must have been quite the joke.”

From using a coffee shop’s bathroom for “police business” to “work stoppages” to legendary Shout-Out lines such as Drebin’s “I just got fired, officer!” or Drebin Jr. having to justify his heroics after a violent showdown by yelling, “If you fire me, the squad dies!” it is clear Neeson is not just up for the new badge, he’s up for the pratfalls, too.

As mentioned, this new Naked Gun series may not be every fan’s cup of tea, what with its rigidly post-ironic silliness, frequent puns, and abundant Hollywood pun-dams. But as someone who grew up and knows and loves the first three original Police Squad! Films, I can tell you from this small taste that it’s just what the franchise needed after so long. Mindless and silly as all hell, The Naked Gun 2025 at the very least looks like it will be a crowd-pleaser for August 2025.