Super-serious guy Liam Neeson is returning to comedy again in the upcoming Naked Gun film, and thankfully, the silliest people in the biz are spearheading the reboot. Directed by the Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer, the movie follows the son of Lieutenant Frank Drebin (the late Leslie Nielsen) as he disguises himself as a schoolgirl to kick some ass — all while wearing strawberry-printed underwear. No, really, it’s in the trailer that premiered at CinemaCon on April 3. Described as “the single most important Naked Gun movie since the other Naked Gun movies,” the clip introduces us to Frank Drebin “the new version” as he tries to live up to his father’s legacy. Junior kneels in front of a portrait of Frank Sr. in tears in what looks like a room of weeping nepotism hires. They quickly cut to a portrait of Detective Nordberg (O.J. Simpson) before panning to his disapproving son. Not every apple falls close to the tree.
The movie also stars Paul Walter Hauser and Pamela Anderson, who’s not featured in the teaser. A new Naked Gun reboot has been in the works for quite some time. In 2013, Ed Helms was signed on to play Frank Drebin (no relation). However, after some creative differences, the film eventually evolved, with Seth MacFarlane attached to develop and produce. Rescue Rangers writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, plus Schaffer, wrote the final script. So, we really meant it when we said this movie is about to be very, very goofy. As it should be!