Liam Neeson has had a prolific career that, over the last several decades, has ofen revolved around shooting guns and taking names between the Taken movies or various action movies like Unknown, which recently saw a resurgence on Netflix. As the 68-year-old actor looks to a new era for his career, he has revealed a reboot of a famed ‘80s franchise he has discussed with Seth MacFarlane before.
Liam Neeson’s latest thriller, The Marksman, just hit theaters this past weekend, and the Oscar-nominated actor has hinted at hanging up action moves for good in the next few years. Though he’s not saying no to some nostalgic slapstick if the future calls for it. Liam Neeson alluded to being tied to perhaps reinventing one comedy classic to People:
I've been approached by Seth McFarlane and Paramount Studios to maybe resurrect the Naked Gun films. It'll either finish my career or bring it in another direction. I honestly don't know.
Ok, hear me out: this could be a really fun direction for Liam Neeson to go in next. The actor has been playing different versions of this hardened hero archetype for eons, so I would not mind seeing him go in a comedic direction with it after he’s all tired out from all the serious stunts. If you’re unfamiliar with The Naked Gun film series, it was from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and based on the Police Squad! show, following Detective Frank Dreblin, a bumbling and hollow-minded official who always seems to figure it out despite cringy hijinks.
Knowing Liam Neeson for playing these serious roles, it’d be a blast to see him make fun of himself a little and venture more deeply into comedy. Seth MacFarlane, who is currently wrapped up in the Star Trek parody The Orville, would be a great choice to be behind the scenes on a Naked Gun reboot too! The pair worked together back in 2014 on A Million Ways To Die In the West.
What’s funny is Liam Neeson sounds like he knows full well that a movie like The Naked Gun may not do well, since he said it could “finish” his career. Comedy has been a tough nut to crack in recent years, and it’s pretty difficult to land on a slapstick project specifically that is sure to land with audiences. It’s near impossible actually. This is the first we’ve heard of this project, but back in 2013, The Office’s Ed Helms was attached to a Naked Gun reboot that never seemed to come together.
We’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend as soon as we hear more on this Hollywood idea. Until then, Liam Neeson plays an ex-Marine-turned-rancher in The Marksman, in theaters now. Check out what other movies are coming out this year with our 2021 release schedule.
