- Teaser trailer shows Liam Neeson dressed as schoolgirl
- Includes a sly dig at former star of franchise, O.J. Simpson
- Fans left divided over reboot
Paramount has released the much-anticipated first trailer for the Naked Gun reboot, leaving fans shocked and amused.
Read more: Trailer For New Naked Gun Movie Has Been Released
Liam Neeson stars as Frank Drebin Jr., son of Leslie Nielsen’s lead character from the original Naked Gun/Police Squad! franchise.
The action-packed teaser trailer shows Drebin Jr. stopping a bank robbery while disguised as a schoolgirl with a lollipop. After taking down the criminals, he drops the act and declares, “Frank Drebin, Police Squad. The new version.”
Read more: Everything we know about the Naked Gun reboot
The Taken actor then strikes a pose for the camera in a plaid skirt, revealing his strawberry-patterned underwear in the process. It’s bizarre, but exactly what you’d expect from a Naked Gun movie.
O.J. Simpson makes shocking appearance in The Naked Gun trailer
Seeing Neeson, 72, dressed as a schoolgirl wasn’t the most shocking part of the trailer. The real surprise came with an appearance from O.J. Simpson, who played Drebin’s partner, Fred Nordberg, in the original Naked Gun trilogy.
In one scene, the new cast kneels before portraits of the original characters, with Neeson’s Drebin Jr. telling his “daddy” he loves him. Nordberg’s son then looks up at his late father’s photo, before glancing at the camera and shaking his head in disappointment.
While Simpson was a fan favorite in the original films, his legacy was later overshadowed by his infamous 1995 murder trial, in which he was controversially acquitted.
The previous Naked Gun film, 1994’s Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, was Simpson’s final feature role. He died from prostate cancer last year at age 76.
Fan reaction
Fans have praised the dig at O.J. Simpson, taking to social media in droves to share their excitement over the wild trailer.
For many commenting on YouTube, the Simpson joke was the moment that made the reboot feel worth it.
@lordultimus559 said “Okay, that last joke gave me a lot of faith in it”.
@RXdash78 showed their appreciation, adding “So much respect for them using the OJ joke.”
The moment caught of @ActorsWithIssuespodcast off guard, who said “I nearly spat out my drink at the wide shot of everyone crying at their dad’s photos. Then almost choked at the OJ moment 😂😂”.
Over on X, fans appear divided. Whilst many enjoyed the Simpson reference, others were left feeling disappointed on its attempts to recapture the magic of the originals.
For @KaweckiPiotrPL, it lacked something. They wrote” I love Naked Gun, I love Neeson but this trailer i lacking something … that naked gun vibe isn’t there … idk”.
@FroodMultiple thinks the reboot lack comedic ability. They wrote “That new Naked Gun trailer really highlights the difference between ‘deadpan delivery’ and ‘total lack of any comedic ability whatsoever’”.
@gerhewitt1 had some harsh words for the teaser trailer, “This remake of The Naked Gun can’t be for real. The trailer is embarrassing”.
@praviousidc alluded to the fact that Nielsen’s formidable deadpan delivery cannot be replicated, saying “By the way have you seen the trailer for the… Naked Gun reboot? It’s just not going to work, the movies from the golden age of parody had such a different tone. The movie were mostly serious, it was the serious, deadpan response to the absurd moments what made them golden”.
The Naked Gun is set to hit theaters on 1 August 2025.
