Paramount has tapped Ed Helms to headline their reboot of the 1988 classic The Naked Gun that starred the late, great Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin.
Variety broke the news on the reboot, calling it a “new spin on the Drebin character.” Nielsen’s Drebin graced the silver screen three times, plus in a short-lived television series entitled Police Squad! in the early 1980s.
Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, the screenwriting brains behind the Night at the Museum films and Reno 911, have been tapped the write the screenplay. The Naked Gun was such a wonderful concoction of deadpan hilarity, groan-worthy one-liners, and extremely clever comedic bits that a great reboot will be no easy feat, but Lennon and Garant seem as up to the task as anyone.
While clearly much younger than Nielsen, Ed Helms would seem to have that same comedic sensibility which, hopefully, will make for a fresh, worthy take on such an iconic character. Dresbin was that type of witty moron that Neilsen continually sold as an exciting character throughout his career, from The Naked Gun to Airplane!, and Helms would seem to be up to the task. We’ll just have to wait and see.
In addition to his role as Andy Bernard on The Office, Ed Helms has become a hot commodity in film over the last several years, perhaps best known for his part in The Hangover Trilogy. Helms will be seen in the upcoming Sundance-bound comedy They Came Together, co-starring Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd.
Lennon and Garant recently sold a script based on another iconic product of the 80s and 90s: Baywatch, which was also purchased by Paramount. Their directorial effort Hellbaby premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.
There is currently no word on a targeted release date.
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