The Naked Gun fans were left shocked and delighted at a wild OJ Simpson reference in the trailer for the upcoming reboot movie.

OJ had a major role in the original three films, the last of which came out in March 1994 – just three months before the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, of which the NFL star was controversially acquitted after a trial that was followed feverishly around the world.

Now the comedy franchise is being revived with Liam Neeson, who plays the son of the first three movies’ lead character, police lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen).

A wild new teaser dropped this Thursday, showcasing Liam’s hilarious performance as Frank Jr., who has followed his father’s footsteps into law enforcement.

But maybe the most memorable part of the sneak peek is the last scene, showing a row of cops getting down on their knees to pay tribute to a memorial wall of pH๏τos of their late fathers, who were also on the force.

While most of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ men’s pictures draw emotional reactions from their sons, the pH๏τo of OJ’s character Detective Nordberg elicits a somewhat different response.

The Naked Gun fans were left shocked and delighted at a wild OJ Simpson reference in the trailer for the upcoming reboot movie starring Liam Neeson (pictured)

OJ is pictured in 1995 during his infamous murder trial, one year after his final Naked Gun film 

Nordberg’s son looks up at the pH๏τo of his late father, then aims a knowing glance at the camera while shaking his head in disappointment.

The previous instalment in the Naked Gun franchise was the final feature film that OJ appeared in before he died of prostate cancer last year, aged 76.

Read More All the twists and turns of OJ Simpson’s trial of the century from horrifying crime scene pH๏τos to Johnny Cochran’s infamous glove challenge to the jury: ‘If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit’

When the new trailer dropped this week, fans reacted with hilarity on social media, exclaiming: ‘LMAOOOO,’ and sharing that ‘The Oj simpson bit cracked me up.’

In fact, the gag impressed even viewers who were left cold by the rest of the teaser, such as one who remarked: ‘Ok. The OJ joke worked. The rest? Oof.’

‘Hate seeing this was being rebooted but that OJ part of a laugh out of me,’ wrote another as still another confessed: ‘The OJ scene DID make me laugh.’

‘Was on the fence about this, but OJ’s kid looking at the camera and shaking his head was pretty funny,’ wrote an X user with a crying laughing emoji. 

Even OJ’s lawyer Malcolm LaVergne, who is now executor of his estate, said he thought the joke was funny and was glad his late client was brought up in the trailer given his principal role in the original movies, via TMZ. 

Family Guy creator Seth Macfarlane is one of the producers of the new picture, which features Pamela Anderson and Emmy winner Paul Walter Hauser.

Maybe the most memorable part of the sneak peek is the last scene, showing a row of cops getting down on their knees to pay tribute to a memorial wall of pH๏τos of their late fathers

While most of the ᴅᴇᴀᴅ men’s pictures draw emotional reactions from their sons, the pH๏τo of OJ’s character Detective Nordberg elicits a somewhat different response

Nordberg’s son looks up at the pH๏τo of his late father, then aims a knowing glance at the camera while shaking his head in disappointment 

The trailer opens with Liam’s character Frank Jr. infiltrating a bank robbery in progress by disguising himself as a little girl

After revealing his idenтιтy, Frank Jr. draws himself up to his full height and uses the sharp end of the lollipop stick to slash one of the robbers

Fans reacted with hilarity on social media, exclaiming: ‘LMAOOOO,’ and sharing that ‘The Oj simpson bit cracked me up.’

OJ and Leslie Nielsen are pictured in The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell Of Fear, which came out in 1991

With Leslie and OJ both ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, the franchise has now been rebooted with a new cast for the new film The Naked Gun 4+1⁄4: Law Of Toughness, which will bow on August 1

The trailer opens with a bank robbery that turns into a hostage crisis, with armed cops staging a desperate standoff outside the building. 

In the midst of all the chaos, a little girl with a lollipop wanders insouciantly past the police perimeter and walks right into the bank.

When one of the robbers demands to know what she wants, she rips off her mask and reveals herself to be none other than Liam’s character Frank Jr. in disguise.

‘Your a**,’ growls Frank Jr., drawing himself up to his full height and using the sharp end of the lollipop stick to slash the criminal to death.

In a sH๏τ that instantly went viral, Liam – who is 6’4″ – stands up proudly in his schoolgirl outfit, which is so small that his strawberry underwear is distinctly visible.

The Naked Gun franchise is based on the 1980s TV crime comedy Police Squad!, in which Leslie Nielsen first played the role of Frank Drebin Sr.

In 1988, the first film in the series came out – The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, starring Leslie and OJ amid a cast that included Priscilla Presley.

A sequel called The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell Of Fear bowed in 1991, and the third, Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, was released in 1994.

With Leslie and OJ both ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, the franchise has now been rebooted with a new cast for the new film The Naked Gun 4+1⁄4: Law Of Toughness, which will bow on August 1.