In exciting news for fans of the Naked Gun film franchise, it looks like major actor Liam Neeson is in talks to star in a new iteration. Although the project has yet to be officially greenlit, however, they’re also eyeing Akiva Schaffer to direct.
This news comes via Deadline, where they also revealed that Dan Gregor and Doug Mand are attached to write the screenplay for the film. The two previously worked with Akiva Schaffer for his film Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. Previously, Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin wrote the prior draft of the film’s script. In addition, it’s been stated that Akiva Schaffer will executive produce the film with Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins producing via Fuzzy Door.
As for now, most of the plot details for the potential film are being kept under wraps. But it does appear that it could be a new sequel rather than a remake. As such, Liam Neeson could potentially play the son of Leslie Nielsen’s iconic character Detective Frank Drebin. This would certainly be a great way to respect Nielsen’s beloved role while allowing the franchise to continue moving forward.
The first Naked Gun film was released in 1988, titled The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. It was a continuation of the 1982 series Police Squad! which only lasted for six episodes. The film was much more successful, however, and managed to spawn two sequels in the 1990s.
The additional films that were spawned included the 1991 film The Naked Gun 2+1⁄2: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult. The film franchise has remained dormant since then, and with Nielsen’s death in 2010, it remained unseen how it would continue until now. With that in mind, it’ll be interesting to see how this project develops.
Fans can stay tuned to ScreenGeek for additional updates on the potential Naked Gun reboot with Liam Neeson as we have them.