# New "Naked Gun" movie starting Liam Neeson **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [April 4, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612 "2025-04-04T13:16:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/1 "2025-04-04T13:16:44Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/_8-N8IIq_8I/maxresdefault.jpg "The Naked Gun | Official Teaser Trailer (2025 Movie) - Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8-N8IIq_8I) I loved the originals growing up. It will be hard to recreate that combination of deadpan and total absurdity of the originals, but I think there are some promising signs in this teaser. One thing I think will be interesting - Liam Neeson can do deadpan, but there’s something inherently physically intimidating about his screen presence, which Leslie Nielsen never had. I wonder how it will work for this style of comedy. And I think it’s a lot harder to pull off this style of comedy than it might seem. So much of it is about tone, facial expressions, reactions, etc. I’m glad they’re trying, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/2 "2025-04-04T13:41:05Z")
Director Akiva Schaffer has a solid comedy resume. Normally this kind of pointless IP humping is a bad idea, but if Schaffer thinks he can make it funny, he’s as good a choice as anyone. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/3 "2025-04-04T13:41:17Z")
Oh man, this is going to bomb, and bomb HARD. You can’t mix in his usual hard violence c.f. _Taken_ with comedy like this, it’s just not going to work. Then seeing that pic of a certain former football player on their Wall of Fame-uhh, NO. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/4 "2025-04-04T13:51:12Z")
This reminds me of the terrible imitation wannabe “Inspector Clouseau” movies with Steve Martin. Totally did not work. The _Pink Panther_ **was** Peter Sellers. And in my world, _Naked Gun_ is Leslie Nielsen. There is no substitute. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/5 "2025-04-04T13:59:23Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > The _Pink Panther_ **was** Peter Sellers. Hey, Alan Arkin tried… ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/6 "2025-04-04T14:13:31Z")
I don’t know how this will land but this year is the perfect one for doubling down on silly, laugh-out-loud films like this. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/7 "2025-04-04T14:15:39Z")
I tempted to think this is one for April 1st. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/8 "2025-04-04T14:16:56Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > One thing I think will be interesting - Liam Neeson can do deadpan, but there’s something inherently physically intimidating about his screen presence, which Leslie Nielsen never had. I wonder how it will work for this style of comedy. I just saw a commercial for this for the first time this morning. I also wondered-- could this _possibly_ succeed, or will it bomb terribly? I love the old Naked Guns as well. Casting Liam Neeson against type might work in the same way it worked for Leslie Nielsen-- he and several other actors in ‘Airplane!’ were cast specifically for their reps as dead-serious types so they could play the comedy deadpan, and it worked so well, it revived Nielsen’s career in a hard ‘deadpan comedy’ left turn. Now it’s really strange seeing him in _actually_ serious pre-Airplane! roles. More than Liam Neeson’s physical presence, I was wondering when I saw the commercial, how Frank Drebbin’s son managed to pick up an Irish accent. I wonder if they’ll somehow retcon it into the plot, like a long-lost son from Drebbin’s affair with an Irish lass, or just not bother since it’s a comedy and doesn’t really matter? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/9 "2025-04-04T14:20:24Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > > [@wolfpup](#): > > > > The _Pink Panther_ **was** Peter Sellers. > > Hey, Alan Arkin tried… To be nitpicky, they were (or weren’t) _Inspector Clouseau_; the “Pink Panther” was either a diamond or a cartoon character, depending on your age when you first watched the live-action films in question. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/10 "2025-04-04T14:21:44Z")
I loved Leslie Nielsen’s movies! I’m definitely going to see this one! ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/11 "2025-04-04T14:23:38Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Casting Liam Neeson against type might work in the same way it worked for Leslie Nielsen-- he and several other actors in ‘Airplane!’ were cast specifically for their reps as dead-serious types so they could play the comedy deadpan, and it worked so well, it revived Nielsen’s career in a hard ‘deadpan comedy’ left turn. Exhibit A: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/yvVFvqd3lqA/maxresdefault.jpg "LIAM NEESON | Improvisational Comedy | Life's Too Short") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvVFvqd3lqA) ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/12 "2025-04-04T14:29:04Z")
I mean, it could be funny, but gag-humor and joke humor like the Naked Gun movies is not so common today. Hey, has Liam Neeson successfully been in a full-comedy before? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/13 "2025-04-04T14:29:44Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Exhibit A: Thought of it immediately. He shows up in Derry Girls, but not in a funny role. He plays himself, voting for the end of the war. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/14 "2025-04-04T14:30:20Z")
Haha, yeah, that clip is probably a large part of the reason (if not THE reason) why he got the Frank Drebbin Jr. part. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/15 "2025-04-04T14:31:04Z")
Well, since Leonard Nemoy is no longer available the options for “L.N.” actors is pretty limited. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/16 "2025-04-04T14:44:20Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I mean, it could be funny, but gag-humor and joke humor like the Naked Gun movies is not so common today. > > Hey, has Liam Neeson successfully been in a full-comedy before? His cameo in Ted 2 was great. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/17 "2025-04-04T14:55:47Z")
If Liam Neeson wants to do a reboot of a Leslie Nielsen movie, it should be Forbidden Planet. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/18 "2025-04-04T14:57:56Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Oh man, this is going to bomb, and bomb HARD. You can’t mix in his usual hard violence c.f. _Taken_ with comedy like this, it’s just not going to work. He did pretty good in _Gun Shy_ and doing improv with Ricky Gervais. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/19 "2025-04-04T16:32:08Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Hey, has Liam Neeson successfully been in a full-comedy before? As the lead, no; but he has a prominent supporting bit in an episode of _Derry Girls,_ and he’s **hilarious.** To whatever extent this does or doesn’t work, he won’t be the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612/20 "2025-04-04T16:51:55Z")
I saw an ad for this, if the ad is any heads up, I’m assuming the movie itself won’t be very good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-naked-gun-movie-starting-liam-neeson/1016612.md?page=2)