Entertainment
Liam Neeson taking on comedy role as he’s ‘set to star in The Naked Gun reboot’-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
Now this is interesting…
Liam Neeson could be stepping back into comedy as he’s reported to tar in a reboot of the Naked Gun franchise (Picture: Getty Images)
Liam Neeson is reportedly in talks to star in a reboot of classic comedy The Naked Gun.
Taken actor Neeson, though best-known for his roles in action films, has successfully dabbled in comedy before and is now apparently set to join the cast of the acclaimed comedy.
The original film, released in 1988, starred the renowned comedian Lesley Nielson as oblivious detective Frank Drebin, with the character made world-famous over the course of three movies.
Nielson died in 2010 at the age of 84, following a long, lucrative career that saw him star in now-classic films including Airplane! and the Scary Movie franchise.
According to Deadline, Paramount Pictures are now preparing for a reboot of the film, with Lonely Island musician, comedian and filmmaker Akiva Schaffer set to direct.
It doesn’t seem as though Neeson will be stepping into the role made famous by Nielson however, as the outlet reports he may instead be playing the detective’s son.
The films were made famous by legendary comedic actor Leslie Nielson, who died in 2010 (Picture: Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Neeson may be more used to serious roles, but has previously appeared in comedies including Derry Girls and Ted 2 (Picture: FilmMagic)
Writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand have reportedly agreed to pen the script, while Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is producing alongside Erica Huggins via their Fuzzy Door company.
Talks began about rebooting the Naked Gun franchise following Nielsen’s death 12 years ago, but progress proved slow.
Neeson, 70, has previously appeared in MacFarlane’s projects Family Guy and Ted 2, and the pair remain good friends.
The actor recently spoke about the possibility of returning to his role in Star Wars – another franchise successfully relaunched in recent years – as long as it was on the big screen.
Neeson starred in the 1999 film The Phantom Menace as Qui-Gon Jinn, with his voice heard in 2002 sequel Attack of the Clones and 2019’s The Rise of Skywalker.
Nielson starred in three Naked Gun films, with talks of a reboot reportedly having been ongoing since his death (Picture: Getty Images)
Speaking to ComicBook.com in April, Liam was asked about the possibility of returning to the series, to which he said: ‘I think so, yeah, I think so.
‘If it was a film! Yeah, I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to TV, I must admit. I just like the big screen, you know?’
He added that he ‘can’t believe’ it’s been 24 years since The Phantom Menace came out.
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‘I just cannot believe where the time has gone. It was a terrific experience, shooting that film in London.’
Metro.co.uk has reached out to Paramount Pictures and reps for Neeson for comment.
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