The Big Picture

Kevin Durand to star in the upcoming
Naked Gun
remake, alongside Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson.
Plot details for the
Naked Gun
reboot remain thin, but Durand will reportedly play a villain.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
hits theaters on May 10.

Kevin Durand is switching out his ape’s crown for a detective hat. The Canadian actor has been tapped to star in Paramount Pictures’ upcoming remake of Naked Gun, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This will mark the next big outing for Durand, who is already starring in a pair of big films this year: the recently released horror flick Abigail and the upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which will bow in theaters on Memorial Day weekend.

Plot details on the upcoming Naked Gun remake remain thin. However, the original film series, based on the short-lived TV program Police Squad!, was a spoof of the police show/crime detective genre. The trio of films followed a bumbling – though good natured – detective, Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen), who must investigate a series of massive criminal plots in each film – with varying degrees of success. Durand will star in the film alongside Liam Neeson, who is taking over the role of Frank Drebin, Pamela Anderson, who will star as a love interest, and Paul Walter Hauser, who will portray police captain Ed, another returning character. Durand will reportedly portray a villain, according to THR.

Naked Gun will be directed by Akiva Schaffer (Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers) from a script he co-wrote with Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will produce for his Fuzzy Door Productions banner alongside Erica Huggins, while Schaffer executive produces alongside Daniel M. Stillman.

Durand Will Soon be Going ‘Ape’
Image via 20th Century Studios

Reports that Durand will play a villain in Naked Gun bode well, given that he is set to portray the main antagonist in 20th Century’s upcoming Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Durand is stepping into the role of Proximus Caesar, the king of a hierarchical group of apes who goes toe-to-toe with Noa (Owen Teague) after the latter objects to apes hunting humans. As the next installment in a long line of iconic Planet of the Apes villains, Durand’s Proximus has some large shoes to fill.

While Kingdom isn’t out until May 10, Durand is in theaters right now with Universal’s Abigail, a horror film about an innocent looking ballet dancer – whose kidnapping goes awry when it is discovered that she is a vampire. Durand portrays Peter, one of the criminal gang members who participates in the kidnapping. The film has received mostly positive reviews, with Collider’s Maggie Boccella saying in her review that Abigail was “delightfully quirky for a horror film.” Durand also told Collider that his directorial debut, The Hockey Player, was in the works. “It’s something that I’ve actually been writing. I first sat down to start writing about 14 years ago … we’re prepping and getting ready to make my first film,” Durand said.

The Naked Gun reboot will premiere in theaters on July 18, 2025. Stay tuned to Collider for more information. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on May 10.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.Release Date May 10, 2024 Main Genre Sci-Fi Writers Patrick Aison , Josh Friedman , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver

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