On paper, hearing thatLiam Neesonwas potentially going to star in a reboot of the Leslie Neilsen movie series,The Naked Gun, it just sounded like something so bizarre it could just work. Neeson has been much more known for his big action roles in the last couple of decades, with the likes ofBatman Beginsand theTakenmovies, turning him into one of the most profitable action heroes of the last ten years. As he sat down to talk with CinemaBlend about his current upcoming offering ofThe Ice Road, Neeson was asked about how the idea was coming along, and he was able to give an update that seems worth getting excited about.
“I know Seth and his team are working on a draft, I’m very excited, and I think and hope Seth might be directing it himself. No date has been set, I think, I believe it’s Paramount Pictures that approached Seth, and Seth approached me. This was about a year and a half ago, maybe two years ago. So it’ll either ruin my career, whatever’s left of it, or I’ll find another little adventure, you know?”
There will be some who see the partnering of Neeson and MacFarlane onThe Naked Gunreboot somewhat strange to accept as an actual real possibility. However, what needs to be considered is that the pair has worked together on a number of occasions in the past. MacFarlane’sA Million Ways To Die In The Westfeatured Neeson as the villain, while he also turned up for small cameos inTed 2and the series,The Orville. For fans of those outings, what could come of this will be something they will be happy to see move ahead.
There would be something of a curious mirroring of life going on ifLiam Neeson were to take on the role. We have Liam Neeson taking over from Leslie Nielsen, a tongue-twister of a phrase to say when sober, but two names that are very similar to each other. Furthermore, Nielsen was of course a dramatic actor up until he accepted his role of Dr. Rumack inAirplane!From there he found himself in thePolice Squadseries, which led him directly toThe Naked Gun. With Neeson certainly in his dramatic phase at the moment, as can be seen in his thrilling and certainly not alaugh a minuteturn inThe Ice Road, so for him to then dip into the all-out ridiculousness ofThe Naked Gunwould certainly repeat what Nielsen did before him.
Then of course we haveSeth MacFarlaneworking on the script and possibly directing. While MacFarlane has his critics, he is probably one of the few people who has the right sense of humor and wouldn’t be afraid to deliverThe Naked Gunin all of its political incorrect glory for a new generation. If this does go ahead, and we should remind ourselves that there has been no green light given yet to the project, then it is one reboot that I would be quite happy to see arrive. This comes to us fromCinemaBlend.
