Grand Rapids Native Stars With Liam Neeson In New Naked Gun Movie

After a 31-year hiatus, The Naked Gun, the satirical comedy franchise about a clueless detective who solves crimes in the most obscene ways possible, is back. Lieslie Nielsen played Frank Drebin in the original trilogy. But this time around, Liam Neeson is wearing the badge, playing Frank Drebin's son, Frank Drebin Jr.

He is joined by Pamela Anderson, who plays his wife Beth, and Paul Walter Hauser, who plays Drebin Jr.'s partner, as the duo must solve a case or the Police Squad risks getting closed. Hauser is a familiar face around West Michigan, as he was born in Grand Rapids and raised in Saginaw.

Paul Walter Hauser's Michigan Roots

Paul Walter Hauser was born in Grand Rapids in 1986; however, he was raised in Saginaw. It was there that Hauser made his first one-screen appearance in a background role for the movie "Virginia", which was shot in Michigan. He then moved to Los Angeles in 2009 and has been there since.

This move has proven fruitful for him. Hauser has made a name for himself in supporting roles like "Stingray" in Cobra Kai, and as Tonya Harding's bodyguard, Shawn Eckart, in I, Tonya. Yesterday, the trailer for The Naked Gun (2025) dropped, starring action movie veteran Liam Neeson in the lead role. However, every detective needs a partner, and that partner comes in the form of Paul Walter Hauser.

READ MORE: Rom-Com Shot in Grand Rapids Gets Streaming Release

Hauser is playing the son of the former police captain Ed Hocken and appears to be the logical partner to Neeson's nonsensical detective. He is featured prominently throughout the trailer, including one shot of him carrying his box outside of the Police Squad building, which has now become a Spirit Halloween. The Naked Gun is set to release on August 1st.

Hauser's breakout role was in Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, as the title character in 2019, which earned him the National Board of Review's "Breakthrough Performance" award. Since then, he has been booked and busy, winning an Emmy for his role in Black Bird, most recently starring as the voice of Embarrassment in Inside Out 2.