Ed Helms To Fill Leslie Nielsen's Shoes In 'The Naked Gun' Reboot
Detective Frank Drebin is about to be on the case again, as Ed Helms is set to play Leslie Nielsen's famed character in a reboot of "The Naked Gun," Variety reports.
Thomas Lennon and R. Ben Garant ("Night at the Museum," "Reno 911!") will write the script, which centers on Drebin. The original comedy franchise spawned two sequels, but it's unclear whether Paramount hopes to capitalize on that built-in success by planning multiple releases.
There's no director or supporting cast in place yet. The original films co-starred Priscilla Presley, O.J. Simpson and George Kennedy. The first, 1988's "Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!," found Frank working to foil a plan to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II at a baseball game while she's visiting the United States.
The original trilogy raked in $ 216 million in North American ticket sales. A fourth film, without Nielsen, was planned as a direct-to-DVD release in 2008 but reportedly stalled over questionable profitability.
Nielsen died in 2010, so he won't be around to give Helms his blessing. Still, the former "Office" star has plenty of material to study up on prior to shooting, as "The Naked Gun" is based on the short-lived 1982 ABC spoof series “Police Squad!" Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, who wrote "Gun," were responsible for that series as well.
Helms, fresh off the successful "We're the Millers," has supporting roles in three comedies coming in 2014: "Someone Marry Barry," "They Came Together" and "Stretch."
[via Variety] Celebrity - The Huffington Post
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