From Left: Liam Neeson; Leslie Nielsen.Photo:Karwai Tang/WireImage; Paramount/Courtesy of Everett
Karwai Tang/WireImage; Paramount/Courtesy of Everett
Liam Neesonis ready to show off his comedic chops.
TheRetributionstar, 71, shared in an interview withComingSoon.netthat despite having had funny cameos in shows likeAtlanta,Life’s Too ShortandDerry Girls, he is ready to prove that he can carry a comedy with the Paramount reboot ofThe Naked Gun.
“It has to be proven,” the actor said of his comedy chops, adding, “Yeah, so I’m slightly nervous of it. A little Stephen Colbert sketch or Ricky Gervais, I’m okay because it’s short. But a whole film, we’ll see. We’ll see.”
Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, two screenwriters who worked with Schaffer, 46, on 2022’sChip ‘n Dale; Rescue Rangers, are also writing the script the latest untitled installment in the crime spoof franchise.
“It’s a good script,” theTakenstar shared. “We’re still in the casting process for the other parts, but the script, there’s some very funny laugh out loud moments,” he added.
Neeson will be taking over the role of Leslie Nielsen’s character, police officer Frank Drebin, who was featured in the original 1982 television series,Police Squad!, and threeNaked Gunmovies, released in 1988, 1991 and 1994. Since Nielsen died in 2010 at 84, Paramount searched for a new actor to lead the franchise.
David Zucker and Pat Proft, who directed and cowrote the original series, toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat they had originally penned a script for a new sequel, though Paramount decided to go with new writers for the reboot.
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“Pat, Mike [McManus] and I wrote a script forNaked Gun 4, and we heard Jon Gonda at Paramount had read the script and laughed all the way through it,” Zucker said. “But somewhere along the line, they decided not to go with Pat and Mike and me.”
He continued, “So that’s when they got Seth MacFarlane, and he has Akiva Schaffer directing Liam Neeson. I was never able to meet with Seth.”
The nextNaked Gunmovie is set for release on July 18, 2025.
source: people.com
