Audiences may have cracked up with every installment of the “Naked Gun” trilogy, but some might be unaware that it was actually built off the bones of a comedy series that didn’t last a season. In 1982, spoof specialists David Zucker and Jerry Zuckerberg, along with Jim Abrahams, produced a comedy cop show led by Leslie Nielsen called “Police Squad!” While met with great reviews, it only got to six episodes before being canceled. But the brains behind this short-lived laugh riot still had faith in their heroic, hilarious lawman, Frank Drebin (Nielsen), and pitched the idea of giving him his own film.
From there, “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!” was born, bringing with it the deadpan, slapstick humor that proved so successful and spawned two more sequels. Settling comfortably between equally amusing spoofs like “Airplane!” and “Hot Shots!,” Drebin’s three films all feature some great moments, even though some might struggle to look past the recurring appearance of the late O.J. Simpson.
With the original held in such high regard as a comedy classic, Paramount has given “Family Guy” founder Seth MacFarlane the go-ahead for a new “Naked Gun” movie. Keeping with the straight-faced formula mastered by Nielsen, the new film will see Liam Neeson take on the role of Drebin opposite Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand, and WWE star Cody Rhodes. We’ll see if he can lay down the law — and the laughs — when the film arrives in 2025.
