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Why we’re thrilled about Pamela Anderson’s comeback to cinema
2025 marks the triumphant return of 1990s icon Pamela Anderson to cinema. After dazzling audiences as a dancer in a fading revue in The Last Showgirl, the actress is experiencing a true rebirth on the silver screen and embraces a slate of new film projects. As The Naked Gun is about to come out on August 13th, 2025, here’s an overview of Pamela Anderson’s upcoming projects. Proof that she’s lost none of her power…
By Erwann Chevalier,
and Jordan Bako.
Published on 8 August 2025. Updated on 11 August 2025.
As a true icon of the 1990s, Pamela Anderson, 58, remains as radiant as ever. She was at the heart of the Disney+ series Pam & Tommy (2022), inspired by her tumultuous romance with Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee. Then, in 2023, she was the topic of the Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story. Now, she is set to step back into the spotlight with two exciting new projects on the silver screen.
Pamela Anderson, star of several documentaries
Although she can often be spotted in front rows of fashion shows, defying beauty norms by appearing without makeup, Pamela Anderson has kept a low profile on the big screen. Her last film appearance was a cameo in Philippe Lacheau’s 2019 comedy Nicky Larson et le parfum de Cupidon (City Hunter). But the Baywatch (1989–2001) star clearly isn’t done yet.
The actress appears in The Naked Gun, a reboot of The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!. Hitting theatres on August 13th, 2025, the film arrives just months after The Last Showgirl premiered in France. Two very different films that once again highlight her talent for comic roles.
The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola and starring Jamie Lee Curtis
On March 12th, 2025, audiences discovered Pamela Anderson in the dazzling world of cabaret in Las Vegas. Directed by Gia Coppola, the niece of Sofia Coppola (Priscilla starring Jacob Elordi) and Roman Coppola, The Last Showgirl captivates with its stellar cast.
Pamela Anderson plays a cabaret dancer alongside American actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween Kills, Scream Queens), Dave Bautista (Dune: Part Two), and Kiernan Shipka (Twisters, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina).
The film follows Shelly, a cabaret performer whose life is upended when the venue where she’s worked for three decades closes its doors. It’s a perfect setting for Pamela Anderson’s comeback, especially given her past as a playmate for Playboy. While she embodies a showgirl used to the limelight, the actress reveals a more vulnerable side under Gia Coppola’s direction.
A triumphant comeback praised by US critics
The Last Showgirl was met with unanimous acclaim from American critics when it premiered at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Some described the actress’s moving performance as the best of her career, while others compare the film to The Wrestler or see it as a sharp critique of ageism in show business.
In any case, The Last Showgirl could prove a turning point in Pamela Anderson’s career, long overlooked as a serious actress. The film offers her a role as a vulnerable, endearing woman, far from the all-powerful sex symbol in red swimsuit of Baywatch. The showgirl clearly isn’t ready for her final bow.
Pamela Anderson to star in The Naked Gun
In 2025, the actress makes headlines again with The Naked Gun, a remake of the 1988 film starring Leslie Nielsen and Priscilla Presley. Pamela Anderson steps into the role once played by Elvis Presley’s wife, opposite Liam Neeson (Taken). The latter embodies a bumbling Los Angeles police detective whose unconventional methods somehow crack the case every time.
She will also star alongside Jamie Dornan in Love is Not The Answer, the feature debut of actor Michael Cera (Scott Pilgrim). The film is described as an absurdist comedy “delving into the complexities of modern loneliness and the universal quest for connection.” Another one of her upcoming project is a new film by Hungarian director Kornél Mundruczó (Pieces of a Woman), co-starring Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream) and Taika Waititi.
A revival that extends to the theatre stage
Her renaissance in the seventh art continues with Rosebush Pruning, directed by Brazilian filmmaker Karim Aïnouz. Advertised as an exploration of the realities of a dysfunctional family, it stars Elle Fanning, Callum Turner (Masters of the Air), and Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & The Six).
Pamela Anderson will also appear alongside Dakota Fanning and Lindsay Duncan in the film Alma by British director Sally Potter (Orlando). This drama is centred on an extended family gathering to scatter their mother’s ashes.
Finally, audiences will find Pamela Anderson not just on screen, but on stage too. After playing the iconic Roxie Hart in the musical Chicago in 2022, she has just completed a revival of a Tennessee Williams play. Speaking to Town & Country, the actress said: “There are so many characters I want to play that I would never have thought about back in my twenties, but I feel like in this part of my life, I can play them with hindsight, wisdom, and knowledge.” These words only hint at the promising path opening in front of her, both on screen and on stage.
The Naked Gun (2025), directed by Akiva Schaffer, coming out on August 13th, 2025.
