It’s been over 35 years since Leslie Nielsen made audiences laugh via the original Naked Gun film. Nielsen went on to lead two sequels and, now, the franchise is being revived, this time with Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson as the leads. The ad campaign for Naked Gun has hilarious, promising a goofy tone and crazy energy like the original film. Recently, Andy Samberg revealed that that he was able to see the film early and, while I love that he praised it, there's a deeper reason for this being meaningful.
While speaking with The Hollywood Reporter at San Diego Comic Con, Samberg was asked if he had seen the upcoming Naked Gun film, which is directed by Akiva Schaffer, his good friend and frequent creative partner. Schaffer is notably a member of the comedy band The Lonely Island, which also includes Samberg and Jorma Taccone. The Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor shared some truly sweet sentiments while sharing what he enjoyed so much about the legacy sequel:
I've seen it many times...I love it. It's very funny. Liam Neeson and Pam are both really, really funny. Akiva did a great job. 'Kiv and Dan and Doug, the writers, did a great job. It's really just joyful, and I really hope everyone goes and sees it.
While this is one of the most exciting studio comedy films in years, it’s far from Schaffer’s directorial debut. He famously directed Hot Rod and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, which both star Samberg. Schaffer also has TV credits, as he's directed episodes of I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. He certainly has comedy chops as a performer as well, which makes him the perfect choice to direct The Naked Gun and, based on his rave review, it seems like Samberg agrees.
I also hope that people go see this film, as Andy Samberg said. These days, it's gradual becoming a novelty for a studio comedy to receive a theatrical release or include movie stars like Liam Neeson and Pam Anderson. The film is getting a lot of attention, and early reviews for The Naked Gun are also pretty positive. Some are even calling the film one of the funniest flicks in years.
Aside from the fact that Andy Samberg is hyping the 2025 movie release for the sake of supporting comedy movies, I just have to talk about seeing him support his longtime collaborator. He and Akiva Schaffer go way back and were friends long before their Saturday Night Live days, during which Samberg was a cast member and Schaffer was a writer, who also directed and produced digital shorts.
Even as their professional paths have gone in different directions, Schaffer and Samberg have always supported each other creatively and made a point to continue to work together. It’s a testament to a strong bond and, while I can’t wait for The Naked Gun, I also am excited to see what The Lonely Island does next as a unit.
You can see The Naked Gun sequel when it hits theaters on August 1st. Lonely Island fans should also check out the The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast on Spotify, where Akiva Schaffer, Andy Samberg, and Jorma Taccone recap the SNL digital shorts that made them famous with the titular talk show host. To revisit these digital shorts yourself, you can check out old episodes of Saturday Night Live now with a Peacock subscription.
