The Naked Gun (2025) isn’t just a reboot; it’s a genre revival wearing a bulletproof vest of nostalgia and a clown nose of modern spoof. With a plot that skewers contemporary crime procedurals and a cast stacked with comedy wild cards, this legacy sequel fires off visual gags, verbal deadpan, and action parody at point-blank range.
The reboot of The Naked Gun was sparked by a mix of nostalgia, genre evolution, and a desire to revive spoof comedy with fresh relevance. The spoof genre had faded after a wave of poorly received parodies in the 2000s. This reboot aims to restore the clever, layered humour of the original Naked Gun trilogy, with visual gags, absurd setups, and deadpan delivery
Producer Seth MacFarlane, a longtime fan of the franchise, had been trying to crack the right tone for years. Early drafts felt like “cover band versions” of the original, until director Akiva Schaffer (The Lonely Island) pitched a new take that honoured the spirit without copying it.
The reboot draws from classic detective films like Double Indemnity and The Big Sleep, blending old-school homage with contemporary parody
Schaffer wanted to spoof modern crime procedurals and action thrillers like John Wick, Mission: Impossible, and Law & Order, rather than the noir and cop dramas of the ’80s.
MacFarlane had been a fan since he was a teenager. “I loved Airplane!, was a huge fan, and then saw The Naked Gun,” he recalls. “That variety of humor was a staple of my childhood. It informed a lot of the comedy that I produced later on in my career.”
MacFarlane is, of course, best known as the creator of Family Guy and American Dad!, as well as
starring in, directing and writing his Ted films and the western comedy, A Million Ways To Die In
the West.
He studied the original trilogy’s tone to preserve its deadpan absurdity while updating genre references for today’s audience, and co-wrote the screenplay alongside Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.
In The Naked Gun (2025), Liam Neeson stars as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., a deadpan detective with a knack for turning every investigation into a slapstick disaster. When femme fatale Pamela Anderson hires him to solve her brother’s murder, Drebin teams up with his loyal partner Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. (Paul Walter Hauser) to unravel a conspiracy that threatens the future of the Police Squad.
It’s not just a remake — it’s a genre update with reverence for the absurd
Seth MacFarlane and Akiva Schaffer brought distinct comedic sensibilities to The Naked Gun (2025), shaping it into a reboot that’s both reverent and refreshingly absurd.
Writer, producer and filmmaker Akiva Schaffer is a proud member of the legendary humor/music group, The Lonely Island, alongside his childhood friends Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone. The trio wrote for SNL, pioneering such popular shorts as “Lazy Sunday,” “I Just Had Sex” and “Dick in a Box.” Schaffer went on to direct feature films, including Hot Rod, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers, as well as produce television projects like I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and Pen 15.”
Schaffer had, as a 10-year-old, fallen in love with Top Secret!, watching it repeatedly throughout 1988 on VHS. “It was one of those experiences where I laughed so hard, I would keep rewatching it. It was one of the first movies I laughed so uncontrollably at that I would try to get high on it again and again.” The day after his 11th birthday, The Naked Gun was released.
“So, when someone told me, ‘That’s the same guys that made Top Secret,’ I went and saw it right
away.”
When he was first asked, however, about helming a reboot, he recalls, “I immediately thought, ‘No, because the first Naked Gun is a perfect movie. It’s kind of like a magic trick. It’s miraculous how it all holds together. And the rule of making a new version or a remake of a movie is you want to find something that’s kind of broken, that you think you can do better than. And, in this case, that was impossible.”
Known for Family Guy and Ted, MacFarlane excels at layered satire, pop culture riffs, and deadpan delivery. His influence ensured the reboot retained character-based comedy, especially through Liam Neeson’s straight-faced portrayal of Frank Drebin Jr.
MacFarlane initially struggled with tone, fearing early drafts felt like “cover band versions” of the original. His decision to hand creative control to Schaffer was pivotal.
As part of The Lonely Island, Schaffer’s style leans into genre parody, absurd setups, and fast-paced visual humour. He Schaffer infused the original trilogy’s rhythm with updated references, ensuring the humour felt fresh but familiar.
Rather than parodying noir and cop dramas like Dragnet or Dirty Harry, Schaffer turned his lens on crime procedurals (Law & Order, NCIS) and action franchises (John Wick, Mission: Impossible, James Bond). By blending the classic slapstick DNA with genre-savvy parody, Schaffer created a reboot that feels both familiar and fresh.
MacFarlane’s reverence for the original met Schaffer’s instinct for reinvention, balancing meta-humour, physical comedy, and genre-savvy absurdity. This tonal cocktail echoes Leslie Nielsen’s legacy while inviting new audiences in.
Writing a Great Comedy
Writers Dan Gregor and Doug Mand had a long history writing together, most notably on television on How I Met Your Mother, as well as numerous comedy features, including Dolittle, Magic Camp – and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
“Akiva just has such a great comic mind. And working with him is just very fluid. He comes from a sketch comedy background, with Lonely Island, and Dan and I come from a sketch comedy background, at the Upright Citizens Brigade. We wanted to work with him again, and when Paramount came to Akiva with the idea for a NAKED GUN reboot, he suggested Dan and me to come on and write it with him.”
“So, when we set out to make our version of Naked Gun, we took that concept and thought, ‘What would happen 30 years prior to today?’ And what we found was we wanted to take a stab at those action movies, those thrillers of the late 90s and early 2000s – like Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop 2 – spoofing a genre that is familiar to people, that they feel nostalgic for, and turn it on its head. And with these incredible performances from Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, we’re able to take people into that world they recognize and change it completely.”
And it works, says MacFarlane. “Instead of the 70s cop shows that the original parodied, it was 90s cop films, 90s cop shows and those tropes that Akiva used. And I think that was a good move. And it makes this movie very much its own beast.”
They also made another important choice. “In the first week of writing with Dan and Doug,” Schaffer says, “ we asked ourselves, ‘What are the big questions?’ And by making him Drebin’s son – making him a Junior – he’s not trying to literally step into Leslie Nielsen’s shoes.
Because Liam Neeson is a different guy, a different actor with his own unique acting skills and persona his fans all know. He can look up to his dad, Leslie, he can respect the old movie. But, like he says in the movie, try to be different and original, at the same time as being exactly the same.
”To pull their basic ingredients together, Schaffer explains, “We studied all the spoof comedies that we’ve loved over the years – Mel Brooks movies, Austin Powers, as well as, of course, the ZAZ movies. And the first thing we wanted to figure out was, what makes the spoof genre really work? ZAZ actually had a set of rules, which are pretty famous. But what Dan and Doug and I tried to figure out, beyond the comedy of it, was how they structured the story of it to keep you engaged enough that you can go, ‘Oh, the story doesn’t matter.’ Because the moment the story falters or isn’t keeping you engaged or is confusing, then you can’t enjoy the jokes. So, we put a lot of effort into making sure the story and characters were working at a pace that would allow you to ignore them and just have fun.”
In developing their script, the trio started forming the basic bones of the structure of the story, pitching scenes to each other. “And then, someone would go off and take the scene and take a stab at it, while someone else would take another scene,” Mand describes. “We’d write them, send them to each other, give notes, give punches. It’s a very iterative process, working with Akiva, which is great – and it’s always the best idea wins. We did so many versions of every scene that you see in that movie, and so many versions of scenes you will never see.”
“Akiva was constantly reminding us, ‘No, let’s push ourselves. What is the idea we haven’t thought of? Where is the area we haven’t gone to yet? Keep going,’’’ describes Mand.
“A B+ joke is great – but we’re not stopping until we get closer to something more inspired. That’s how we did Rescue Rangers, and that’s how he was on this movie. It’s a relentless pursuit of making something great, and really fucking funny and original.”
The goal was to create a VOLUME of jokes. Mand says, “It’s one of the special things about NAKED GUN, which is a real rarity these days, in terms of comedy and writing, is the volume of jokes you need. You need so much, at such a clip, that you know you really have to be ready to jump in with a lot of choices.”
As for the results, says MacFarlane, “Akiva and his team came along and were able to crack the nut that we weren’t. When I read his draft, my thought was, ‘Okay this guy has solved the problems that we were having trouble with. It feels like something that’s new – and it feels like a new Naked Gun, as opposed to a cover band version of the original.’ So, when I read his draft, it was with a great sense of pleasure – and relief that this was really going to work.”
Legacy sequels
A legacy sequel is a film that continues the story of a previous movie—often decades later—while introducing new characters and themes. It typically features original cast members in ageing roles, passes the torch to a younger generation, and blends nostalgia with modern storytelling. These sequels often ignore or retcon previous instalments to reconnect with the spirit of the original.
Recent Legacy Sequels worth noting are : Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) revived the saga with legacy and new heroes; Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) reimagined the franchise with new leads; Creed (2015) continued the Rocky saga through Apollo’s son; Blade Runner 2049 (2017) picked up 30+ years after Blade Runner; Halloween (2018) was a direct sequel to the 1978 original, ignoring others; Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) reconnected with original Ghostbusters lore; The Matrix Ressurrections (2021) revisits Neo and Trinity in a rebooted world; Scream (2022) Introduced new characters while honoring legacy; Top Gun: Maverick (2022) picked up decades after the original 1986 film, bringing back Tom Cruise as Pete “Maverick” Mitchell while introducing a new generation of elite pilots; and I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) is a sharp-edged revival that blends slasher nostalgia with modern psychological horror and reboots the 1979 film.
Legacy sequels work best when they strike a delicate balance between emotional continuity and narrative reinvention. Bringing back beloved characters allows audiences to reconnect with emotional arcs they’ve invested in.
These films often explore how time changes people—loss, regret, resilience, and redemption. They tap into universal emotions like nostalgia, closure, and generational tension.
These films often explore how time changes people—loss, regret, resilience, and redemption. They tap into universal emotions like nostalgia, closure, and generational tension.
Akiva Schaffer is an American filmmaker, comedian, and musician. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz with a degree in film, he co-founded the comedy trio The Lonely Island with Andy Samberg and Jorma Taccone, revolutionising digital shorts on Saturday Night Live with viral hits like “Lazy Sunday” and “Dick in a Box.” Schaffer transitioned into feature films with directing credits including Hot Rod, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers. He’s also produced acclaimed projects like Palm Springs and PEN15, and directed the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun, blending slapstick legacy with modern genre parody.
Dan Gregor, is a writer, director, and producer known for his sharp comedic voice and genre-blending storytelling. A founding member of NYU’s sketch group Hammerkatz, he honed his craft at the Upright Citizens Brigade before landing writing roles on How I Met Your Mother and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. His directorial debut, Most Likely to Murder, premiered at SXSW in 2018. Gregor co-wrote Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers and The Naked Gun (2025), often collaborating with his wife, actress and writer Rachel Bloom. His work is marked by irreverent humour, emotional nuance, and a knack for satirical twists.
Doug Mand, is a writer, producer, and actor whose career has intertwined with Gregor’s since their NYU days. Together, they formed the production company Chubby Skinny Kids and wrote for How I Met Your Mother, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and The Comedians. Mand co-wrote and co-produced Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers and The Naked Gun reboot, and has contributed to films like Dolittle and Magic Camp. Known for his comedic timing and collaborative spirit, Mand also hosts the podcast Doody Calls, blending personal anecdotes with humour. His onscreen appearances include roles in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Most Likely to Murder, often playing offbeat characters with deadpan charm.
