The Naked Gun is a 2025 American satirical crime comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer and written by Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, and Schaffer, based on characters created by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. The film serves as a legacy sequel and soft reboot to The Naked Gun film trilogy (1988–1994) and the television series Police Squad! (1982), while introducing a new lead: Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the original protagonist, Lt. Frank Drebin, portrayed by Leslie Nielsen.

The film co-stars Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, and CCH Pounder, with appearances from Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, and Busta Rhymes. Produced by Seth MacFarlane, Erica Huggins, and Akiva Schaffer, The Naked Gun was released theatrically by Paramount Pictures on August 1, 2025. It was met with mostly positive critical reception, particularly for Neeson’s straight-faced comic timing and the film’s successful homage to the tone of the original trilogy.

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Plot Summary

Following in the footsteps of his bumbling father, Detective Frank Drebin Jr. must solve a murder case to prevent the police department from shutting down.

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Production and Filming

Development History

After multiple stalled attempts to reboot The Naked Gun franchise—including a 2013 version starring Ed Helms—momentum reignited in 2022 when Liam Neeson expressed interest in comedic roles. Paramount partnered with Fuzzy Door Productions, and Akiva Schaffer was brought on board as director in 2023.

Schaffer, best known for Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016) and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022), aimed to balance faithful genre parody with updated humor. The writers wanted to keep the absurdity of ZAZ comedy but replace some dated tropes with more contemporary sensibilities.

The script went through multiple revisions. According to Schaffer, “[The] challenge wasn’t making jokes—it was deciding how modern audiences want their parodies served. We didn’t want to make Scary Movie 6.”

Casting

• Liam Neeson was the studio’s first choice for Drebin Jr., having previously joked in interviews that he’d “retire from action films to do slapstick.” Neeson’s casting was widely discussed online, drawing both skepticism and eventual praise for his dry delivery and sincerity.
• Pamela Anderson returned to mainstream cinema in a rare comedic role. She trained in improv and was involved in multiple rewrites of her dialogue. In one notable scene, she ad-libs a jazz number titled “Criminal in the Streets.”
• Paul Walter Hauser served as comic relief with an emotional core, playing Hocken Jr. as both inept and overqualified. He has said his performance was inspired by watching all three original films and mimicking George Kennedy’s timing.
• Danny Huston played villain Grant Vaxxon with a Bond-esque menace. Critics noted that his performance, while serious, allowed for darkly absurd moments, such as using a mind-controlled police drone shaped like a basset hound.

Filming

Principal photography took place in Atlanta, Georgia, from May to June 2024. Sets included a mock-up of Police Squad HQ, a futuristic tech compound, and a parody of the San Francisco Bay Bridge made of Jenga blocks (for a dream sequence).

Cinematographer Brandon Trost adopted a crisp, ’80s-style lighting scheme to replicate the original trilogy’s visual texture, including wide angles and zoom gags. The film’s stunts were practical wherever possible. Neeson performed nearly 75% of his own stuntwork, including a slow-motion fall down a spiral staircase while holding a birthday cake.

The music by Joel McNeely incorporated cues from the original Naked Gun and Police Squad! scores by Ira Newborn.

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Style and Tone

Akiva Schaffer insisted on “earnest absurdity.” The film mirrors the structure of The Naked Gun (1988) closely, with visual gags and double entendres that reward attentive viewers. While modernized in pacing and references, the script retained classic ZAZ comedy mechanics:

• Recurring gags include Drebin Jr. misunderstanding idioms, repeated fake newspaper headlines, and malfunctions in voice-activated doors.
• Meta-humor arises from Drebin’s self-awareness—at one point he says, “Sometimes I feel like I’m being watched…by nostalgic Gen-Xers.”
• Cameos include Michael Peña, Seth MacFarlane, and a hologram of Leslie Nielsen delivering a posthumous message: “If you’re my son… duck.”

Schaffer described the tone as “a balance between reverent and reckless. We want to honor the past but not be shackled by it.”

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Comparisons with Original Trilogy

Continuity

While The Naked Gun (2025) does not directly continue from Naked Gun 33⅓ (1994), it acknowledges the original trilogy as canon. Frank Drebin Sr.’s retirement, marriage to Jane (Priscilla Presley), and legacy are discussed. In a touching moment, Drebin Jr. reads an old memo from his father: “When in doubt, knock over a water cooler.”

Thematic Echoes

Both Drebin Sr. and Jr. struggle with their place in institutions that demand competence. However, while Sr. was a caricature of ’70s hardboiled cops, Jr. exists in a world of bureaucratic parody and tech satire.

The film reimagines the original trilogy’s social commentary, shifting from Cold War-era threats to modern fears like AI policing and surveillance capitalism.

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Reception

Critical Response

• Rotten Tomatoes: 90% (critics), 88% (audiences)
• Metacritic: 74/100
• CinemaScore: B+

Critics praised the film’s respectful revival of a classic style. Rolling Stone called it “a nostalgic joyride that isn’t afraid to crash into a few fire hydrants.” The Guardian praised Neeson’s performance: “He may not be Nielsen, but he’s a Drebin through and through.”

Less favorable reviews pointed to uneven pacing in the middle third and underused supporting characters.

Audience Reactions

Opening weekend saw strong turnout, particularly among Gen X and millennial viewers. Social media reactions emphasized Anderson’s comeback and Neeson’s transformation. Fans created viral clips from the film’s gag reels and blooper scenes.

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Box Office

The Naked Gun opened with $31 million domestically and $26 million internationally in its first weekend. With a $65 million production budget and strong word-of-mouth, analysts predict a total run exceeding $150 million.

Paramount has reportedly green-lit a sequel for 2027, pending Schaffer and Neeson’s return.

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Legacy and Future

The 2025 revival has sparked renewed interest in the Police Squad! universe. Streaming platforms reissued the original trilogy in 4K remastered editions, and a Police Squad! retrospective documentary is in development at Hulu.

Neeson has stated that he’d be “thrilled” to reprise his role if the next script is “as absurd and touching as this one.” Pamela Anderson has signed on for two sequels, joking: “I haven’t laughed this hard since Baywatch ran in slow motion.”

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Conclusion

The Naked Gun (2025) accomplishes what few modern reboots do: it preserves the irreverent spirit of its predecessor while offering fresh takes for new audiences. Powered by Liam Neeson’s unexpectedly deft comic turn and Akiva Schaffer’s confident direction, the film balances homage and originality, slapstick and sincerity. Whether you’re a devoted fan of Frank Drebin Sr. or discovering Police Squad-style parody for the first time, The Naked Gun delivers gags per minute in glorious, absurd abundance.

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