The Naked Gun | |
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Directed by | Akiva Schaffer |
Screenplay by |
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Story by | Seth MacFarlane |
Based on | Police Squad! by David Zucker Jim Abrahams Jerry Zucker |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Brandon Trost |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Naked Gun is an upcoming American action comedy film directed by Akiva Schaffer, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dan Gregor, Doug Mand, Mark Hentemann, and Alec Sulkin based on an original story written by Seth MacFarlane, who produced alongside Erica Huggins. Serving as the fourth film, and fifth overall installment in The Naked Gun franchise, the film stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr, alongside Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, Danny Huston, Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder, and Busta Rhymes.
The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 1, 2025, by Paramount Pictures.
In December 2013, Paramount Pictures announced that a reboot of The Naked Gun franchise was in development with Ed Helms cast in the role of Frank Drebin, while the script was being co-written by Thomas Lennon and R. Ben Garant. [1] By January 2014, Garant revealed that the working title of the project is Episode IV: A New Hope, while announcing that it is intended to be a sequel to the original films. Helms was intended to portray a character that introduces himself as "Frank Drebin, no relation" so that the movie can introduce a new protagonist without contradicting what came before. [2] In March 2015, David Zucker stated that he was offered a producing role on the project, but had declined to being involved as he felt like it would differ in comedic style and ultimately be inferior to his original films. [3] [4] In August 2015, Helms confirmed that the script was still being written, while acknowledging the concerns that Zucker had with modern-day audience reception, and a need for something other than the spoof genre of the previous movies. [5] By March 2017, a re-write of the script was being completed by David Zucker and Pat Proft, with the plot being reworked to feature the son of Frank Drebin. [6]
In January 2021, it was announced that Seth MacFarlane had been hired to further develop the project. After MacFarlane had previously expressed interest in casting Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. in 2015, the filmmaker was hired by the studio. Neeson revealed that the filmmaker alongside Paramount Pictures had approached him with a pitch to star in the movie. [7] [8] In June of the same year, Neeson stated that MacFarlane was working on a new draft of the script, with the studio additionally negotiating the filmmaker's potential role as director. He expressed excitement for the project and the opportunity to explore a more comedic role, should he decide to star in the movie; while stating that development on the project is ongoing. [9] In February 2022, Neeson again confirmed that Paramount is still courting him to star in the legacy sequel. [10]
In October 2022, the film was officially greenlit with Neeson in the lead role as Frank Drebin Jr. and Akiva Schaffer directing. Dan Gregor and Doug Mand were hired to write a new draft of the script, from a previous draft with contributions from Mark Hentemann and Alec Sulkin. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins served as producers, under their production company Fuzzy Door Productions. [11]
In April 2024, Pamela Anderson joined the cast of the film. [12] In May, Paul Walter Hauser joined the cast, playing Capt. Ed Hocken, [13] alongside Kevin Durand in an undisclosed villain role [14] as well as Danny Huston, [15] Liza Koshy, Cody Rhodes, CCH Pounder and Busta Rhymes. [16]
Principal photography began on May 6, 2024, in Atlanta, under the working title Law of Toughness, and wrapped on June 28. [17] [18]
The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on August 1, 2025. [19] It was originally scheduled for July 18, 2025. [20]
Leslie William Nielsen was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! is a 1988 American crime comedy film directed by David Zucker, and produced and released by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Leslie Nielsen as the bumbling police lieutenant Frank Drebin, who sets out to uncover a criminal plot involving people being mind controlled to assassinate targets. Priscilla Presley, Ricardo Montalbán, George Kennedy, and O. J. Simpson also star in supporting roles.
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series Family Guy and The Orville (2017–2022), and co-creator of the television series American Dad! and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013). He also co-wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in the films Ted (2012) and its sequel Ted 2 (2015), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).
Police Squad! is an American crime comedy television series that was broadcast on the ABC network in 1982. It was created by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, starring Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin. A spoof of police procedurals and many other television shows and movies, the series features Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker's usual sight gags, wordplay, and non sequiturs. It resembles the Lee Marvin police show M Squad and the late 1960s series Felony Squad. It was canceled after six episodes, and yielded The Naked Gun film series from 1988 to 1994.
The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear is a 1991 American crime comedy film. It is the sequel to the 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and the second installment in the Naked Gun film series. The film stars Leslie Nielsen as the comically bumbling Police Lt. Frank Drebin of Police Squad!. Priscilla Presley plays the role of Jane, with O. J. Simpson as Nordberg and George Kennedy as police captain Ed Hocken. The film also features Robert Goulet as the villainous Quentin Hapsburg and Richard Griffiths as renewable fuel advocate Dr. Albert S. Meinheimer. Zsa Zsa Gabor, Mel Tormé and members of the Chicago Bears have cameo roles.
Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult is a 1994 American crime comedy film directed by Peter Segal and written by Pat Proft, David Zucker and Robert LoCash. The film is the third and final installment in the Naked Gun film series, which was based on the television series Police Squad!. The Final Insult is the only film in the series that is not directed by David Zucker, with him serving as producer and co-writer instead. Police Squad! co-creators Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker returned as executive producers.
The Naked Gun media franchise consists of several American crime spoof-comedies, based on an original story written by the comedy filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker. The installments include one television series and three theatrical films. The plot centers on a police detective with a lot of heart, despite being less than intelligent. Leslie Nielsen stars in each installment in the protagonist role of Detective Sergeant Franklin "Frank" Drebin, with a fourth film starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. scheduled for release in 2025. The franchise was met with mostly positive critical reception, and the films were a financial box office success.
Franklin "Frank" Drebin is a fictional character in the Police Squad! television series and The Naked Gun movies played by Leslie Nielsen.
Mark Henry Hentemann is an American screenwriter, creator and producer for television and film. He is a writer, executive producer and former showrunner of the animated series Family Guy, where he started as a writer in its first season. In addition, Hentemann has also provided voices for many minor characters on Family Guy, including the "Phony Guy", Opie, and Eddie the Ostrich.
Ted 2 is a 2015 American fantasy comedy film that serves as the sequel to Ted (2012). The film was co-produced and directed again by Seth MacFarlane, who co-wrote the script with returning writers Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film follows the talking teddy bear Ted as he fights for his civil rights in order to be recognized as a person and not as property so he can adopt a child. In addition to MacFarlane, Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Jessica Barth also reprised their roles from the first film, with Amanda Seyfried, John Slattery, and Morgan Freeman joining the cast.
A Walk Among the Tombstones is a 2014 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and written by Scott Frank, and based on the 1992 novel of the same name by Lawrence Block. It stars Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour, and Boyd Holbrook. The film was released on September 19, 2014. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $62 million worldwide.
Run All Night is a 2015 American action thriller film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra and written by Brad Ingelsby. The film stars Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman, Common, and Ed Harris and follows an ex-Irish Mob hitman who goes on the run with his estranged adult son after he is forced to kill the son of a mobster boss. It also marks the third collaboration between Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra after Unknown and Non-Stop.
Seth MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. MacFarlane began his career as an animator and writer for Hanna-Barbera for several television series, including Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, Dexter's Laboratory, and created a sequel to his college thesis film Larry & Steve.
Point Grey (PGP) is a Canadian-American film and television production company, founded in 2011 by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The company is named after Point Grey Secondary School in Vancouver, where they met.
A Million Ways to Die in the West is a 2014 American Western comedy film directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild. The film features an ensemble cast including MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman, and Liam Neeson. The film follows a cowardly frontiersman who gains courage with the help of a female gunfighter and must use his newfound skills in a confrontation with her villainous outlaw husband.
Elizabeth ShailaKoshy is an American YouTuber, media personality and actress. Her main YouTube channel has amassed almost 17 million subscribers, and her two channels have a combined total of over 3 billion views. She has received four Streamy Awards, four Teen Choice Awards, and a Kids' Choice Award.
Paul Walter Hauser is an American actor. He played supporting roles in the films Demoted (2011), Super Troopers 2 (2018), Beats (2019), Adam (2020), Cruella (2021), Old Dads (2023), and Inside Out 2 (2024). In 2019, Hauser had his breakout performance as the title character in Clint Eastwood's drama film Richard Jewell. Hauser starred as murderer Larry Hall in the 2022 miniseries Black Bird, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award.
Marlowe is a 2022 neo-noir crime thriller film directed by Neil Jordan, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Monahan. Based on the 2014 novel The Black-Eyed Blonde by John Banville, writing under the pen name Benjamin Black, the film stars Liam Neeson as private detective Philip Marlowe, a fictional character created by Raymond Chandler, and features Diane Kruger, Jessica Lange, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Alan Cumming, Francois Arnaud, Ian Hart, Danny Huston, Daniela Melchior and Colm Meaney.