The long in the works reboot of the cop comedyThe Naked Gunis heading to theaters next year. Paramount will releaseAkiva Schaffer’s reboot of the spoof franchise on August 22, 2025.Variety reportsthat the film, which is set to starLiam Neesonas Frank Drebin, taking over from comedy legendLeslie Nielsen, will be a summer release next year. The release calendar for 2025, after pandemic and strike-related delays, is beginning to shape up. Next July,The Naked Gunwill face off againstBallerina, theAna de Armas-led spinoff of theJohn Wickfranchise; the Disney animated filmElio; the live-action remake ofHow to Train Your Dragon; and the horror sequelThe Black Phone 2.
So far, little is known about the Schaffer-led reboot, which will feature action star Neeson lampooning his own image as the effective but imbecilic Drebin. Lonely Island veteran Schaffer will direct and executive produce, and co-wrote the film’s draft script with writing duoDan GregorandDoug Mand(Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers,Crazy Ex-Girlfriend). The film will be produced bySeth MacFarlaneandErica Hugginsvia their company Fuzzy Door.
What Is ‘The Naked Gun’?
The Naked Gunhad its genesis inPolice Squad!, a short-lived 1982 TV comedy fromDavid Zucker,Jim Abrahams, andJerry Zucker, the team behind the pioneering disaster movie spoofAirplane!Although the TV series was canceled after six episodes, the trio found new life for the concept on the big screen, where their signature visual gags would have more impact. LikePolice Squad!, 1988’sThe Naked Gunstarred Nielsen as Drebin, a spoof of movie cops who becomes embroiled with criminal mastermind Vincent Ludwig (Ricardo Montalban) and his plot to assassinate the Queen of England at a baseball game - but the plot is secondary to the film’s non-stop assault of puns, visual gags, and outrageous slapstick. An enormous success at the box office, making over $150 million on a $12 million budget, the film spawned two sequels, 1991’sThe Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fearand 1994’sNaked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, and cemented Nielsen, once one of Hollywood’s squarest leading men, as a comedy icon.
Paramount is setting their future release slate; in addition toThe Naked Gun, the company has also staked out June 19, 2025 forNovocaine, a new action film starringJack Quaid; July 17, 2025 forVicious, aDakota Fanning-led survival thriller; and August 05, 2025 for a sequel to last year’s animatedTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
TheNaked Gunreboot hits theaters July 02, 2025. The 1988 movie is streaming now on Paramount+.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Watch on Paramount+
