The Naked Gun Reboot: Promising Update and Why Seth MacFarlane Is Perfect for It

The Promising Update on the Naked Gun Reboot

With two years having past since he first joined the project, Seth MacFarlane has a promising update for the Naked Gun reboot. Acting as a spinoff of the spoof comedy The Police Squad, the Leslie Nielsen-led comedies revolved around a hapless detective investigating a series of major crimes in Los Angeles. After years of attempts to produce a fourth movie, a Naked Gun reboot was announced in the works in 2013, initially with Ed Helms starring, though after nearly a decade of development hell, MacFarlane came on board to produce with Liam Neeson starring and The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer co-writing and directing.

Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun 2 1/2.

During a recent interview with Collider for the upcoming Ted prequel show, MacFarlane confirmed that the movie is not only 'still very much alive', but that he's very excited about the latest draft of the script for the movie. It’s being worked on as we speak. Akiva Schaffer, who’s written the draft with his team, has done a hell of a job, and it is in development. So, it is still very much alive.

Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin in The Naked Gun

Why MacFarlane Is Perfect For Naked Gun

While reboots in general can be a troublesome thing to nail, MacFarlane's involvement with the new Naked Gun proves a promising one for its chances. The five-time Emmy winner has frequently found acclaim for his ability to both spoof and parody iconic properties across his projects, with Family Guy in particular being a satire on the typical sitcom format. However, one of the more notable examples is that of The Orville, which began partly as a spoof of Star Trek before evolving into a more sincere sci-fi adventure show exploring trenchant themes.

Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin waving his arms in front of a large explosion in The Naked Gun

Additionally, his involvement in the project is what landed Neeson in the starring role as Drebin Jr., marking his fifth collaboration with MacFarlane. MacFarlane isn't the only reason to have faith in the Naked Gun reboot as Schaffer is similarly well-versed in the world of satire and comedy. Between the pop music satire of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping to his experience on Saturday Night Live, the actor-director has even shown strength in reviving old properties with 2022's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, which brought home the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie.

Why MacFarlane Is Perfect For Naked Gun

The Talent Behind the New Naked Gun

MacFarlane isn't the only reason to have faith in the Naked Gun reboot as Schaffer is similarly well-versed in the world of satire and comedy. Between the pop music satire of Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping to his experience on Saturday Night Live, the actor-director has even shown strength in reviving old properties with 2022's Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers movie, which brought home the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. As such, while movies that languish in development hell can frequently prove underwhelming, the talent behind the new Naked Gun should help it come close to matching its predecessors, if not surpassing them.

Leslie Nielsen as Frank holds up his badge in The Naked Gun