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Paramount is reviving one of the most iconic slapstick franchises in Hollywood with a new installment of The Naked Gun, slated to hit theaters on August 1, 2025. This modern reboot is being presented as a legacy sequel, with Liam Neeson stepping into the absurd world of law enforcement as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s beloved original character. Directed by Saturday Night Live alum Akiva Schaffer and produced by Seth MacFarlane, the film promises to preserve the franchise’s hallmark of outrageous physical comedy while introducing a self-aware twist on Neeson’s action hero persona.
The official trailer, released on June 16, offers a glimpse of the hilariously over-the-top tone fans can expect. Neeson’s Frank Jr. is equal parts stone-faced and ridiculous, parodying his own gritty screen image with lines like, “Once you kill a man for revenge, there’s no going back,” immediately followed by a gag involving severed limbs used as weapons. The trailer blends high-octane silliness with tender nods to the franchise’s origins, including a moment where Frank Jr. and his partner Ed Hocken Jr. stand solemnly before plaques commemorating their fathers, paying tribute to both Leslie Nielsen and George Kennedy’s unforgettable roles.
Pamela Anderson joins the cast as Beth, a mysterious femme fatale at the center of the new plot, while Paul Walter Hauser plays the comically overwhelmed Captain Ed Hocken Jr. Rounding out the ensemble are Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, WWE’s Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, Busta Rhymes, and Eddy Yu. The plot sees Drebin Jr. pulled into a bizarre murder case involving Beth’s brother, with the fate of the entire Police Squad riding on his ability to solve it—albeit with frequent detours into bathroom hijinks and malapropisms like confusing “manslaughter” with “man’s laughter.”
With a strong creative team, a respected lead who’s game for parody, and a clear affection for the source material, this reboot of The Naked Gun aims to reintroduce its wildly irreverent humor to a new generation. Whether longtime fans or newcomers, audiences can look forward to an unfiltered dose of satire when the film hits theaters next summer.