News that Liam Neeson would be taking up the role of Frank Drebin in a reboot of the iconic comedy trilogy The Naked Gun sent the pop-culture into raptures back in 2021, but ever since then the project has gone quiet.

Two years later, the esteemed Irish actor has confirmed his involvement in the comedy, even going so far as to state that production on the new film will begin in summer.

Given the greenlight over at Paramount, Seth MacFarlane, who was once attached to direct the movie, now steps back into a producer role, whilst the Lonely Island member Akiva Schaffer takes his place as well as the scriptwriting duties.

The original movie, directed by David Zucker and written by himself, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft, was a laugh-a-minute gag-filled comedy that played out like a series of sketches with one overarching story.

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Speaking to Collider about the upcoming movie, Neeson confirmed his hopes to start production later this year, stating: “Yes, we’re waiting on a script. Yeah, we’re hoping it’ll happen this year, maybe in the summertime.

I approached Seth MacFarlane, he and his team are working on it, the scripts. So, we’re hoping to go in the summertime, you know?”.

The casting of Neeson is inspired, with the actor sharing many similarities with the original series star, Leslie Nielson, as both started their careers playing dark, dramatic characters, before showing off their proficiency for dry comedy later in their careers.

Whilst Nielson found success with The Naked Gun, Airplane! and the Police Squad series, Neeson has impressed in A Million Ways to Die in the West, Ted 2 and Extras.

Neeson is next due to star in the action thriller Retribution alongside the likes of Jack Champion, Matthew Modine, Arian Moayed and Embeth Davidtz.

Take a look at the trailer for the original Naked Gun movie below.