Liam Neeson to star in Naked Gun remake directed by Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer

The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer is set to direct a reboot of The Naked Gun with Liam Neeson set to star.

According to Deadline, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand (Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers) are set to pen the script, with Mark Hentemann & Alec Sulkin (Family Guy) having written the initial draft. It's not confirmed yet whether Neeson will play Detective Frank Drebin – famously played by the late Leslie Nielsen – or will instead play Derbin's son. Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins will produce under the Fuzzy Door banner.

The franchise's history began in 1982, with the short-lived Leslie Nielsen-led TV series Police Squad! The series was rebooted as The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! in 1988, and was met with critical acclaim. Nielsen reprised the role again in The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear in 1991, and Naked Gun 33 + 1/3: The Final Insult in 1994. The crime-comedy franchise follows Detective Frank Drebin, who in the first film is tasked with uncovering an assassination plot against the Queen. Plot details have not yet been released for the reboot.

Schaffer recently directed Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, a live-action/CGI animated adventure comedy that starred John Mulaney and Andy Samberg as the voices of Chip 'n Dale. The film won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Television movie. Schaffer also helmed the now HBO exclusive film Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping in 2016.

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