It’s been over 40 years since the Police Squad! franchise began, and it’s set to make a comeback this August with The Naked Gun. Starring Liam Neeson, this action comedy is set to be a “legacy sequel” to Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, released in 1994. While there has been a fair share of comedies released in the past year or so, producer Seth MacFarlane has some big hopes for this 2025 film installment.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the creator of Family Guy believes that comedy is what people need, based on the current climate we’re living in. He also believes that “true comedy” is a rarity these days and hopes that if The Naked Gun finds success at the box office, it will inspire other filmmakers to revive the comedic style that was prevalent in the 80s in today’s media landscape.
“The environment that we’re living in, I think, certainly helps. It’s been a long time since a really high-profile hard comedy has been put out there. This is a true comedy, with a whole bunch of laughs. And I think that’s something that’s a little rare right now. And hopefully, if the movie does well, it brings a few more of those kinds of movies back into our shared landscape.”
The Naked Gun stars Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr, the son of Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen). Alongside the action star are Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and Danny Huston. While this is a film part of the Police Squad! franchise, David Zucker, one of the original directors of the comedy franchise, revealed to TMZ that Paramount hadn’t reached out to him to consult on the reboot and has no interest in watching it.
Who Created The ‘Police Squad!’ Franchise?
2025’s The Naked Gun is teased to be in a similar style to the works made by the comedy filmmaking trio, consisting of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. These filmmakers were the brains behind the entire Police Squad! franchise, but have worked on other projects that have received similar success.
One standout example is the 1980s film Airplane! (aka Flying High!), which earned a Certified Fresh rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and generated $83 million at the worldwide box office. The film marked the start of Nielsen’s comedy career, as his deadpan performance as Dr. Rumack was met with high praise. His success in the role led to a continued partnership with the filmmakers, resulting in a starring role in the Police Squad! franchise.
The Naked Gun enters theaters on August 1, 2025. In the meantime, you can stream the previous Naked Gun films on Hoopla.
Source: Entertainment Weekly