Liam Neeson‘s Frank Drebin Jr. is on the case in the first trailer for The Naked Gun. The reboot of the slapstick comedy series will hit theaters on August 1, 2025.
What Is ‘The Naked Gun’ Franchise About?
The Naked Gun originates in the TV series Police Squad!, which starred Leslie Nielsen as accident-prone cop Frank Drebin. The series was created in 1982 by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, the creators of Airplane! The trio brought their signature style of surreal slapstick to the series, but it was canceled after six episodes. Nevertheless, the trio resurrected the concept in the 1988 film The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, with Nielsen reprising his role. This time, it was a big hit, raking in $152 million USD on a $12 million budget. Two sequels, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear and Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult, followed in 1991 and 1994, with diminishing returns. There have been several attempts to reboot the series over the years; at one point, Ed Helms was cast in the lead.
The Naked Gun is directed by Akiva Schaffer (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping); he also co-wrote the script with Dan Gregor (Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers) and Doug Mand (How I Met Your Mother). It is produced by Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, and executive produced by Schaffer and Daniel M. Stillman.
The Naked Gun will be released in theaters on August 1, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.