Liam Neeson’sThe Naked Gunrevives the beloved comedy series after 32 years - and can hopefully bring back the parody genre with it.The Naked Gunmoviescame from the comedy team of Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker (AKA ZAZ), consisting of brothers David and Jerry Zucker and the late Jim Abrahams. Together, this trio oversaw a bunch of classic spoofs, including the Val Kilmer-ledTop Secret!andAirplane!The Naked Gunseries originally ended after the third entry in 1993, butLiam Neeson’s upcomingNaked Gunacts as both a rebootanda legacy sequel.
Neeson will play the son of Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin, with the cast being filled out by Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston and Paul Walter Hauser.The trailer forThe Naked Gunhas received a surprisingly warm response, and previews for the film are said to have received raves.The Naked Gun 2025feels like a big deal on two fronts: one, it’s nice to have a big budget, broad comedy actually arriving in theaters, and two, it could signal the resurrection of the parody genre.
The Naked Gun Is The Liam Neeson Movie I’ve Waited 10 Years For
Liam Neeson’s iteration of The Naked Gun looks fantastic, and it’s the type of movie I’ve been waiting for him to make for nearly a decade.
Liam Neeson’s The Naked Gun Can Rescue The Dying Spoof Genre
The Parody format gradually died out during the 2000s
The Naked Gunsare three of the funniest parodies ever produced, but now it’s almost hard to recall a time when the genre was popular. From the 1970s through to the 1990s, the likes of theMonty Pythonfilms, the works of ZAZ and Mel Brooks saw that parody films were both critical and commercial hits.It feels like parodies hit their cultural zeitgeist with theAustin Powerstrilogy, as Mike Myers' hilarious sendup of theJames Bondseries and other spy movies really clicked with audiences.
Since the early 2000s, the popularity of the subgenre waned. Big screen comedy gave way to the improv-heavy works of filmmakers like Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin) or Paul Feig (The Heat), whilespoofs degraded into the witless likes ofDate Movie. While there have been parodies in the last two decades that have hit the funny bone, like Michael Jai White’sBlack Dynamiteor 2016’sPopstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, the genre has largely been avoided by studios.
Prior to Liam Neeson being cast,The Office’sEd Helms was in line to play Frank Drebin’s son in the newNaked Gun.
It should be noted that even studio comedies have become much rarer in recent times too, largely due to Marvel and comic book movies weaving lots of humor into their stories. It’s a lot of pressure to put on one movie, butthe newNaked Gunfeels like it could get audiences excited about the parody format again. There are few theatrical experiences as enjoyable as laughing with a crowd of strangers, and the buzz on this Liam Neeson legacy sequel suggests it really delivers on that front.
Why Movie Spoofs Largely Disappeared After So Many Hits
Blame the rise of “Insert Title Movie” movies
The Naked Guntrilogy should be a blueprint for how to structure a parody; explore the clichés of a given genre (in this case, the cop movie), layer each scene with both visual and verbal gags and make sure the cast always underplays the humor.This is what madeThe Naked Gunsso rewatchable, as even a tenth viewing could unearth new jokesand background gags. Most of the parodies that arrived during the 2000s took the wrong lessons, feeling that making constant references to other films and being as broad as possible was enough.
Scary Movie’s success led to a cursed run of ripoff movies, exemplified by the likes of Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans and An American Carol.
The originalScary Movieby the Wayans might be dated by today’s standards, but it also had some genuine laughs. Its success led to a cursed run of ripoff movies, however, exemplified by the likes ofEpic Movie,Meet the SpartansandAn American Carol. Most of these were cheaply produced, met with terrible reviews and while they didn’t flop, their shoddiness gave the subgenre itself a terrible reputation.
Even the best parodies from this era, likeWalk Hard: The Dewey Cox StoryorPopstartended to get overlooked during their original releases, only to get rediscovered years later. By the time the 2020s rolled around, the spoof format was largely dead.
The Naked Gun 2025 Isn’t The Only Spoof Movie On The Way
The Naked Gun won’t be alone in leading the spoof revival
Outside ofThe Naked Guns, theScary Moviesaga is arguably the most famous parody franchise. Unfortunately, each subsequent sequel charted the decline of the format itself. The second film was scattered but still fun, but once the Wayans departed the series, each subsequent sequel got worse and worse.The series is set to return in 2026 with the fittingly titledScary Movie 6, and thankfully, the Wayans brothers will be returningwith it.
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If bothThe Naked GunandScary Movie 6meet with success, maybe the frost surrounding big screen comedies will finally thaw. There are even reports Mike Myers is developing a fourthAustin Powers, so maybe studios are sensing there’s a renewed appetite for parody movies after a long break.The Naked Gunwill be the first big test of this theory, and hopefully, it will live up to the franchise’s name.
