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Posted in: Movies, Paramount Pictures | Tagged: dave bautista, film, Paramount Pictures, The Naked Gun
Dave Bautista's The Naked Gun Cameo Was Locked In From the Start
Dave Bautista’s cameo in The Naked Gun was no accident, and producer Erica Huggins reveals he was the first and only choice for the role.
Article Summary
- Dave Bautista's cameo in The Naked Gun reboot was secured from the start, not a last-minute decision.
- Producer Erica Huggins reveals Bautista was the first and only choice for the film's wild cameo moment.
- The Naked Gun reboot leans into slapstick humor, with Bautista’s scene delivering pure comedic gold.
- Directed by Akiva Schaffer, the film’s cameos and star power help drive its quirky, absurd spirit.
The Naked Gun reboot is now in theaters, and one of its more talked-about moments comes courtesy of an unexpected, but perfectly deployed cameo from action star Dave Bautista. The moment lands as both bizarre and oddly fitting, blending seamlessly into the film's off-kilter tone. It's basically the kind of cameo that feels tailor-made for the franchise's legacy of absurdity and, according to producer Erica Huggins, the brief role was never even up for debate.
The Naked Gun Producer on Adding Dave Bautista to the Project
"We had an idea to do a cameo," Huggins tells ScreenRant. "We didn't know exactly how we were going to make it work. [Akiva Schaffer], [Dan Gregor], and [Doug Mand] came up with this idea, which I thought was so funny when we heard it pitched out, and we wanted an action star that felt like it was completely outside of his realm to be sitting in the middle of this scene. And Bautista—I think an agent sort of whispered this idea, and it was like, 'Aha, this is the guy.' So he was the first guy and the one that we really wanted. And the fact that he said yes is always a good thing."
Directed by Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer, the 2025 reboot stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., stepping into the world of absurd police parodies made famous by the original trilogy. It also features Pamela Anderson as Beth Davenport, Paul Walter Hauser as Capt. Ed Hocken Jr. and Danny Huston as Richard Cane. The film proudly leans into both slapstick and celebrity chaos, with Bautista's quick appearance landing as yet another memorable gag moment perfectly against the heightened absurdity of the scene around him.
Bautista, known for balancing action roles with unexpected comedic timing (particularly in Guardians of the Galaxy), has become a reliable presence for directors looking to subvert typecasting. His cameo in The Naked Gun obviously fits that pattern, and according to Huggins, no backup plan was ever needed. Now, as The Naked Gun finds its audience in theaters (with nearly $40 million at the box office so far), moments like this one are helping cement it as a quirky, but necessary relaunch for a cult classic film franchise. Still, did you have a favorite cameo?
The Paramount Pictures film The Naked Gun is in theaters everywhere.
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