Movie fans have known for decades that that Liam Neeson is an immensely talented actor, but it has nonetheless been surprising this past week to witness his gift for performing comedy. The Irish star best known for playing Oskar Schindler and the revenge-seeking Bryan Mills is hilarious and brilliant as he deadpans his way through the extreme goofiness of The Naked Gun – and it makes one wonder what could be next. Might he fully follow in Leslie Nielsen's footsteps and turn spoof into a specialty? Perhaps he could star in a sendup of his action movies like Taken?
The former is still an open question, but we can probably close the door on the latter. CinemaBlend's Jeff McCobb asked Liam Neeson about the idea last month during the press day for the critically acclaimed new comedy, and his answer had an interesting evolution – as you can see watching the video above. He goes from being modestly interested in a good take, to joking about it, to deciding that it probably wouldn't be the best idea. Said Neeson,
It would depend on the script. And, obviously this [mimes an ATM stacking up cash]. 'I'm not hearing it.' [mimes more cash stacking]. 'I'm still not hearing you.' [the cash stacking continues] I don't think so. I think it's a bit too on the nose, you know.
If, however, that movie did get made, who would be the proper star for it? That's a debate that social media could have for a full day, but Liam Neeson was quick to produce a name:
Ed Helms.
Whether on purpose or not, it's a funny namedrop when one considers the development history of the new Naked Gun movie. This is a project that has been in the works for over a decade, and has taken multiple different forms. Back in 2013, the property was put in the hands of screenwriters Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant, and you can probably guess who was lined up to play the new Frank Drebin: Ed Helms.
Did Liam Neeson know this before providing his answer to the question during the junket? I can't say for certain, but there's a part of me that hopes he did. I want it to be a situation akin to a friend getting a job that you were both going after and them putting in a recommendation for you to get another position at the same company.
As for whether or not the release of The Naked Gun will inspire a new wave of big screen spoof movies, time will tell. The new 2025 release has been on a mission of sorts to save comedy, and while it landed in third place at the box office during its opening weekend, it ended up earning on the higher end of projected ticket sales and it has plenty of buzz. It has some substantial competition arriving in theaters tomorrow in the form of Weapons and Freakier Friday, but word of mouth will hopefully keep it afloat and keep cinemas filled with the sound of hysterical laughter.
