“The Naked Gun” brought old-school comedy back to movie theaters this summer, and audiences will soon get to enjoy those same laughs at home as the action comedy arrives on Paramount+ on Sept. 30.
A late sequel to the ‘Police Squad!’-inspired movie series of the same name from the 1980s and ’90s, “The Naked Gun” reintroduced the franchise to modern audiences with Liam Neeson playing the hilarious Detective Frank Drebin Jr.— the son of Leslie Nielsen’s lead character from the original films. Neeson’s serious demeanor juxtaposed with the playful density and bizarre escapades of his crime fighting character make for a uproarious comedy, true to the Zucker Brothers’ original tone.
Seth MacFarlane produced the film while Akiva Schaffer of The Lonely Island directed. Joining Neeson in the cast are Pamela Andresen, Danny Huston, Kevin Durand, CCH Pounder, Liza Koshy and Paul Walter Hauser. Hauser plays Captain Ed Hocken Jr., Drebin’s partner and the son of Alan North’s character from the old movies. Dave Bautista, Busta Rhymes and Cody Rhodes all make cameos, as did “Weird Al” Yankovic and Priscilla Presley — who are the sequel’s only two actors returning from the original films.
The film was developed at Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions and released by Paramount Pictures. It hit theaters on Aug. 1, debuting to $17 million at the domestic box office. It finished behind “Fantastic Four: First Steps” and “The Bad Guys 2” in its opening weekend. So far, it has grossed over $100 million at the worldwide box office.