Entertainment
Liam Neeson’s $102 Million Legacy Sequel Crashes Onto a New Streamer Next Month
It’s easy for anyone to see that what the world needs now is some sweet, sweet comedy to pull us out of the saddest of times. So, when it was announced that The Naked Gun franchise would be coming out of retirement more than three decades after its third installment, audiences were excited. Actually, it was more like cautiously optimistic considering the 2010 passing of its legendary star, Leslie Nielsen. Who could step into the shoes of such an icon and deliver the lines, character work, and dead-pan comedy in such a way that would not just continue the hysterical film series but honor it? From the shadows, action hero Liam Neeson, stepped in to take the challenge and he, along with filmmaker Akiva Schaffer and a stellar ensemble, absolutely knocked it out of the park when The Naked Gun was given new life earlier this year. Soon, Prime Video subscribers will have the chance to roll in heaps of laughter when the film celebrates its arrival on the streamer on December 29.
Instead of casting someone to take the place of Nielsen and play the same character he originated and was loved for, the film took a different turn, giving Neeson the role of Lt. Frank Drebin — the son of Nielsen’s Frank Drebin. While attempting to secure the continuation of Police Squad, Frank stumbles into a case that puts his life in imminent danger and crosses paths with a woman who will forever change his perspective. Joining Neeson in the knee-slapping comedy is a laugh-out-loud lineup that also includes Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird), Danny Huston (American Horror Story: Coven), and Kevin Durand (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes).
‘The Naked Gun’s Immense Popularity
Taking a shot at resurrecting one of the greatest spoof parody films of all time with a completely different cast was a tall order for the folks behind The Naked Gun, but they went above and beyond to ensure a success. With an 87% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie was a hit among critics, like Collider’s Aidan Kelley, who wrote,
“Leslie Nielsen is often regarded as one of the greatest comedic performers to ever live, so that certainly gives Liam Neeson the unenviable task of trying to live up to that legacy. It’s been quite a while since Neeson has done a full-blown comedy, and even then, he’s often the straight man rather than the comedic performer. The Naked Gun proves beyond a shadow of doubt that Liam Neeson is just as capable a comedic actor as a dramatic one, as his take on Frank Drebin Jr. is just as aloof, deadpan, and unintentionally witty as you’d hope he would be.”
Head over to Prime Video on December 29 to stream The Naked Gun.
- Release Date
-
August 1, 2025
- Runtime
-
85 minutes
- Writers
-
Akiva Schaffer, Doug Mand, Dan Gregor, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
- Producers
-
Erica Huggins, Seth MacFarlane
