Is Liam Neeson Trying To Channel Leslie Nielsen’s ‘Set Of Skills’ In His Naked Gun Reboot? The Director Shares A Smart Take
Liam Neeson may be playing Leslie Nielsen’s son in The Naked Gun, but that doesn’t mean he needs to follow in the legendary actor’s footsteps 100%. Paramount’s 2025 movie release that acts as a legacy-quel to the classic franchise definitely has a lot to live up to, especially with such a mythic comedy talent like the Airplane! superstar to live up to.
It could be daunting even for someone like co-writer/director Akiva Schaffer if it wasn’t for the fact that The Lonely Island vet kept one thing in mind with this new send-up. You could boil down Schaffer’s new remarks to Empire as simply as saying that he’s going to let Liam be Liam. That would still be a bit of a copout, as the Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers helmer actually invoked Neeson’s Taken catchphrase as the heart of figuring out this approach as follows:
Liam’s got his own things, but they’re not Leslie Nielsen’s things. It would also be unfair to Liam [to try to mimic 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.
Forcing the actor who’s done everything from Schindler’s List to The LEGO Movie to fit a certain mold is like shoehorning a Ghost parody into The Naked Gun 2025. Just because Leslie Nielsen and company did it in the past doesn’t mean it’ll work like a charm with a brand-new team. If people really wanted the Lt. Frank Drebin they have at home, they’d stay inside with a Paramount+ subscription and enjoy.
It’s fitting that Seth MacFarlane would be producing The Naked Gun, as some of the funniest Family Guy episodes are very much in the wheelhouse of the Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker comedies. Working along with the writing team of Akiva Schaffer, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand, this batch understands the nature of comedy and playing to one’s strengths.
Even more appropriate is how Seth MacFarlane convinced Liam Neeson to make The Naked Gun, as he knows the Irish actor’s chops from collaborating on past projects. One of the most notable examples of that pairing comes from his cameo from Ted 2:
One of the biggest differences between Leslie Nielsen and Liam Neeson is the art of deadpan. With Nielsen, his stoic nature primarily carried an aura of authority, assuring the audience he knew what it was doing and that everything was under control. Neeson, on the other hand, uses his stoicism to borderline threaten Ted the teddy bear, which is definitely reminiscent of his character in Taken.
It’s a subtle degree of difference, but Akiva Schaffer seems to have picked up on it pretty quickly. Which leads to some advice that he got when The Naked Gun was finally starting to get underway:
A friend of mine, when I was just starting to write, was like, ‘Feels to me like your assignment is: what’s the funniest thing that you can make Liam Neeson say?’ And, well, that is kind of it.
Let Liam be Liam. It’s as simple as that, and I’m sure Schaffer’s work on some of the best SNL Digital Shorts hammered that in long before he even darkened the door of this legacy-quel comedy. Like a sack of potatoes, we’re gonna have to keep our eyes peeled, as The Naked Gun won’t hit theaters until August 1st.
