“Because we’re all fucked. And we need a few giggles,” he told Variety Monday at the movie’s New York City premiere. He delivered the line in the deadpan style of his on-screen persona, Frank Drebin Jr., the biological (and spiritual) heir to Leslie Nielsen’s iconic police lieutenant. The character last graced the big screen in 1994.

Anderson kissed Neeson on the cheek on the red carpet for the film’s premiere on July 22, which is fine on its own, but there’s more evidence. On the same red carpet, when Access Hollywood asked about their first impressions of each other,

Liam Neeson stars as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. in The Naked Gun reboot, which is set to release in theaters on August 1, 2025. The film, directed by Akiva Schaffer, marks a revival of the beloved slapstick franchise, and advance screenings have already sparked a variety of early reactions online.