There was undoubtedly a lot of pressure on the new Liam Neeson-led comedy movie,The Naked Gun, to live up to the previous threeNaked Gunfilms. Released in the ’80s and ’90s to much acclaim, the franchise should be proud to be back with arguably the funniest movie of 2025 so far.
This claim is something that’s echoed throughoutreviews forThe Naked Gun, with Screen Rant’s own Zachary Moser giving it an 8 out of 10. The newNaked Gunmovie successfully honors the original three films and Leslie Nielsen’s slapstick style of comedy. And with some box office success behind it too, the IP looks ripe for further exploration.
Despite this, Neeson has admitted that hedoesn’t think there will be a sequel toThe Naked Gun. Even though he loved working on the movie, the acclaimed actor seems convinced that it will be a “one-off.”
This is disappointing news, since there are plenty ofhilarious moments inThe Naked Gunand room for additional parodies in future installments. That’swhy Neeson is wrong about the franchise’s future potential.
The Naked Gun Should Absolutely Get A Sequel
When it comes to legacy sequels, it’s usually dangerous to compare them too much to the beloved original movies. However, I believe the newNaked Gunmovie can proudly stand on its own two feet next to the Nielsen-led films. In fact,The Naked Gunhas a higher Rotten Tomatoes score than the franchise’s previous two films, and is tied with the original movie.
The Naked Gunis a perfect legacy sequel that honors the franchise’s past, but also tells its own unique story.Practically every joke inThe Naked Gunlands, and it successfully proves that this slapstick style of comedy, which Nielsen perfected in the original films, can still work in major Hollywood productions.
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The Naked Gun (2025)
Without a doubt,The Naked Gunis one of, if not the funniest movie of the year, and it would be a shame if Neeson didn’t return for a sequel at some point. Ideally, Pamela Anderson would also reprise her role. It’s clear thatAnderson and Neeson have great chemistry inThe Naked Gun, and I would love to see their characters' relationship develop further in a sequel movie.
Additionally,it would be incredible if director Akiva Schaffer returned to helm the sequel, as he clearly understands the style of comedy that these films require. It would have been very easy to get aNaked Gunlegacy sequel wrong, but this creative team clearly respects the franchise and wanted to go the extra mile to make sure the film worked.
Not all movies require sequels. In fact, there are definitely too many sequels being greenlit nowadays. However, I believe thatThe Naked Gunis still a franchise with untapped potential.
I’m sure Neeson and Anderson still have more ideas for these characters, and Schaffer has more jokes up his sleeve, which is why I desperately hope the new star is wrong about moreThe Naked Gunmovies happening.
