Liam Neeson has had a major career change in the past, and one of his upcoming movies is primed to establish him in another genre. For most of Neeson’s career, he was known for his dramatic movies like Schindler’s List and Michael Collins. Some of Liam Neeson’s best movies came from his time as a dramatic actor, though he had much more range than that. He has always taken various roles, even in action movies, but one of his movies marked a complete transformation for his entire career.
Neeson experienced a major career change after the release of Taken in 2008. The movie’s success turned him into one of the biggest action stars of the decade, and his later work created some of Liam Neeson’s best action movies. The success of his movies like The Grey and Non-Stop made it a very wise choice for his career, though his action movies have lost steam over the years. One of Neeson’s new movies could spark as big of a change to his career as Taken did, but for a new genre.
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The Naked Gun Reboot Marks Another Major Career Shift For Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson will have his first major comedic role in the upcoming The Naked Gun reboot. He’ll be playing Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s character, who was an oblivious, bumbling detective. The Naked Gun could be a major shift for Neeson’s career, and though he will be playing a police officer, his character will be very different from his recent action roles. It seems like a huge, sudden change to his career after a 16-year-long run of action movies, but his performance in Taken also took viewers by surprise. Many people may not think of Neeson as a comedian, but The Naked Gun could change audiences’ perception of him.
The Naked Gun Reboot
The Naked Gun is set for a reboot via writer-director Akiva Schaffer, with Liam Neeson starring in the lead role. The film is rumored to have Liam Neeson playing the son of the former franchise protagonist, Detective Frank Drebin.
- Director
- Akiva Schaffer
- Release Date
- July 18, 2025
- Distributor(s)
- Paramount Pictures
- Cast
- Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson’s New Role Pays Off An Old TV Show Joke
In 2011, Liam Neeson appeared in a sketch on Ricky Gervais’ comedy show Life’s Too Short. In the sketch, Neeson played himself, and he wanted to start doing improvisational comedy. The joke was that Neeson was terrible at comedy and used depressing, overly-serious prompts. Neeson’s casting in The Naked Gun fulfills that sketch hilariously, as it shows he really is interested in comedy, though he should be much better than his Life’s Too Short appearance made him seem. The offbeat humor of the original The Naked Gun also resembles the sketch and meshes well with comedy he’s done in the past.
Liam Neeson Already Proved He’s A Great Comedic Actor
The Naked Gun won’t be Neeson’s first foray into the comedy genre, as he has played multiple humorous characters before. He’s had parts in movies such as Ted 2, Anchorman 2, and A Million Ways to Die in the West. Neeson’s previous roles prove he has the perfect comedic style for The Naked Gun, and that he’s more than capable of delivering a hilarious performance. One of the best parts of Leslie Nielsen’s sense of humor was his commitment to the bit, and Neeson can perfectly replicate that. His past work has often seen Neeson delivering his lines in a deadly serious fashion, which only made him funnier.
Most of Neeson’s previous roles have come in the form of cameos, though, so The Naked Gun will be a chance for him to shine as the main character. The movie could also be the perfect opportunity for him to cement himself as a comedy star in much the same way Taken made him an action star: by letting him prove he can succeed in a new genre all by himself. Much of The Naked Gun‘s success will hinge on Liam Neeson‘s performance, and he’s proven he’s more than capable of reviving the series.
