Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures has given the go-ahead for a remake of the iconic slapstick comedy The Naked Gun, with Liam Neeson in negotiations to star and Akiva Schaffer attached to helm. Neeson is expected to portray Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the 1980s comedy classic series. Over the course of three hilarious comedies, Nielsen became a deadpan comedy legend for his portrayal of the bumbling investigator. The first picture was so successful that it generated two sequels, which in turn helped revive Nielsen’s career in the 1980s. The film is being produced by Fuzzy Door, which Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins founded, with Schaffer serving as executive producer.
The script will be written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, who most recently collaborated with Schaffer on Disney’s Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers. Reports in Deadline indicate that after Nielsen’s untimely passing in 2010, discussions of a possible revival of the property were initiated. After struggling to find the proper script, and inspired by the success of Top Gun: Maverick, another film set in the 1980s that has become a nostalgic favourite, production on the newest Naked Gun film went into full swing. Before becoming an action star late in his career, Neeson was known as a serious main drama actor.
His breakout performance was in the 1993 Steven Spielberg Holocaust movie Schindler’s List, for which he received an Oscar nomination. His career shifted to action movies like the Taken trilogy, The Commuter, Non-Stop, and The Grey in the late aughts. His comic timing, however, has been exhibited before, both in his work with MacFarlane on Ted and in an appearance on Ricky Gervais’s comedy series Life’s Too Short.
In it, he played an exaggerated version of himself who was eager to abandon dramatic acting in favour of improvised comedy. His wit and humour will be needed in his new capacity. Rescue Rangers, written and directed by Schaffer, Gregor, and Mand, won the Emmy for Best TV Movie. In addition to directing Hot Rod, The Watch, and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Schaffer is a member of the comedic group The Lonely Island.