Fans of the original Naked Gun films are probably just hoping that this summer’s upcoming reboot is A) funny, and B) doesn’t tarnish the legacy of the franchise any more than the crappy 2012 mobile game already did. But does the movie also have the potential to help justify our very existence on this planet? According to director Akiva Schaffer, some audiences have said that it does.
Schaffer recently spoke with Empire Magazine about the high-profile project. First of all, he made it a point to clarify that star Liam Neeson, despite his soundalike name, won’t be attempting to imitate original Naked Gun star, Leslie Nielsen. “Liam’s got his own things, but they’re not Leslie Nielsen’s things,” Schaffer explained. “It would also be unfair to Liam (to ask him to impersonate Nielsen), because he’d be spending the whole movie trying to match something that is another human being with a whole different — forgive me — set of skills.”
Taken jokes aside, Schaffer also noted that during the writing process a friend suggested that his “assignment” was to consider “what’s the funniest thing that you can make Liam Neeson say?” Now he admits “that is kind of it.”
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While the movie hasn’t premiered to the general public just yet, Schaffer revealed that 2025’s Naked Gun just screened for a test audience. Test screenings allow audience members to provide feedback on works in progress via comment cards. The process has allowed filmmakers to gain unique insights from the average moviegoer, such as this helpful critique of David Cronenberg’s Videodrome:
According to Schaffer, the response to The Naked Gun was extremely positive. Sure, he probably wouldn’t bring up any of the negative comments, if there were any, but he stressed that people at the screening were mostly thrilled with seeing a new movie comedy in a theatrical setting. “We went out to Arizona for a preview, and so many of the cards were like, ‘It had been so long since I just laughed in a theater with 300 people,’” Schaffer recalled. “You’re just making something silly. But then some people were like, ‘I found it life-affirming, because it reminded me the world could still be like the way it was.’”
“Life-affirming” isn’t a phrase that we would have expected to hear in response to a Naked Gun reboot, but it does feel as though fans of big-screen comedies are being largely underserved right now. Laughter is undoubtedly a communal experience, meaning that comedies presumably benefit from theatrical releases, and have in decades past, but more and more comedies seem to be released directly to streaming services, including movies like Hit Man, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F and this summer’s Happy Gilmore 2.
Earlier this year, One of Them Days proved that quality comedies can do well at the box office; it made more than $50 million and even beat the Wolf Man remake that we’ve already forgotten all about.
It remains to be seen, though, whether or not The Naked Gun will be able to attract crowds who aren’t seeing it for free in Arizona.
