Paramount jump-started its CinemaCon presentation Thursday by dropping the first teaser trailer for The Naked Gun, the reboot of the cop-spoof franchise. The studio rolls out the comedy in theaters on August 1. Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen who is following in his father’s footsteps. Akiva Schaffer (Saturday Night Live, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) directs and Seth MacFarlane (Ted, Family Guy) produces. The cast includes Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser (as the son of George Kennedy’s Captain Ed Hocken), CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Cody Rhodes, Liza Koshy and Eddie Yu, with Danny Huston. The trailer features Drebin foiling a bank robbery after sneaking into the scene disguised as a schoolgirl licking a lollypop. After dispatching the bad guys, he’s asked who is is. “Frank Drebin, Police Squad” he responds. “The new version.” Dan Gregor & Doug Mand & Akiva Schaffer wrote the script for the pic, which in the short teaser shown today did suggest it respects it’s silly roots — even it’s O.J. Simpson ones. Check out the trailer above.
at first i was like naw, then the OJ Simpson joke made think - maybe. we don't get comedy like this anymore. I know this thing going to be dumb.
I've had several buddies texting me about this for the last day or so. Anyone who knows me knows what a fan of this franchise I am. The Zucker brothers not being involved makes me very skeptical but I'll give it a shot once it becomes available to stream.
I like the edgier new Frank Drebin. I never thought anything could touch the originals and, if trying to imitate the originals, then this may not work. But, this is in a different vein and it appears to work. Liam is the man still! I hope they riff on the "Taken" films as part of the jokes. Would be a missed opportunity if didn't joke of "Taken" in this!
Hitting on a two-hour comedy is in general tough sledding. Parody movies may never die thanks to SNL, but getting two hours of comedy gold in a genre whose time has come and gone will be difficult. The trailer seems to indicate they are coming at this the same way. A stoic character who is oblivious to the situation. And that comedy is not likely gonna fly to well.
I am another who is skeptical about redoing the Naked Gun as Leslie Nielsen pretty much defined that role. But I do love me some Liam Neeson so I will probably check it out.
1 in 3 chance of NOT sucking balls. I am sure the actors will be fine. it is the writing team that will make or break this.
I looked up the director's other credits (He's also one of the writers). It does not inspire great confidence. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akiva_Schaffer#Filmography Previous film writing credits are - Extreme Movie Popstar: Never Stop Stopping and he was uncredited as a writer on Hot Rod. There are two other writers, but mostly they have TV credits. It looks like it's basically the team that brought you that great film, Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers (that's the only film where all three writers have worked together previously, though this director didn't write but rather produced). That counts as a red flag for me. Edit - he's also one of the two other "Lonely Island" guys with Andy Samberg.
