Despite being nervous: That’s why Liam Neeson took the lead role in the reboot of one of the most iconic comedy series of all time

A sequel to the three-part comedy series ‘The Naked Gun’ has been planned for years, in which Hollywood legend Leslie Nielsen, who died in 2010, went from one faux pas to another as the crazy police officer Frank Drebin. Now there will actually be a new film, in which an unexpected star will take over Nielsen’s legacy. In the new “The naked cannonLately he has been mainly active as an action star Liam Neeson Frank Drebin Jr. to play

He was tapped for the role by “Ted” and “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane, who is producing the film and for whom Neeson previously appeared as a villain in “A Million Ways To Die In The West” and for a cameo appearance. in “Ted 2” was in front of the camera. That Neeson agreed to the project, in addition to his friendship with MacFarlane and the fact that he considered the offer an honor, is apparently also due to that in his view the world in general could use more of these silent comediesas he said in an interview with the indicated:

“Right before Christmas, my sons and I went through the Academy screenings trying to find something crazy, a silly movie that we could giggle at. Of course there were none, because they were all very heavy substances.”

‘I’m going to play it dead serious’

And so Liam Neeson is now actively helping when it comes to putting together a new comedy in the spirit of old parody classics such as ‘The Naked Gun’ or ‘The Incredible Journey in a Crazy Plane’, which Neeson also loves to make legs. lay. Mainly because he really liked the script: “It’s a good script with some laugh out loud moments,” says Neeson enthusiastically. .

He recently admitted that he was a little nervous about the role, as he had only done a few sketches in very short television shows so far. Ultimately, he feels up to the task of directing a full-length comedy, not least thanks to a special approach: “When Seth MacFarlane approached me about it […] I thought: Yes, I think I can, provided I play it dead serious and don’t try to imitate Mr. Leslie Nielsen. He was great.”

Whether this plan actually leads to a worthy successor to ‘The Naked Gun’ remains to be seen. Behind the scenes, director Akiva Schaffer and the author duo Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who recently delivered a fun meta-adventure with ‘Chip & Chap – Knights of the Law’, will take care of this. The reboot of “The Naked Cannon” opens in German cinemas on July 17, 2025.