The filmmaker behind the classic of The Naked Gun, David Zucker, has renewed his verbal assault concerning the newly released revival featuring Liam Neeson, after briefly appearing to soften his stance in the aftermath of the film's theatrical release.
During a fresh discussion, Zucker stated that Seth MacFarlane, the producer behind the new Naked Gun and formerly the director and co-writer of the Ted movies, "totally missed" the spoof-comedy style that Zucker, along with his collaborators Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, made famous in Airplane! and the initial trilogy of Naked Gun films.
"My brother, Jerry, and our partner, Jim Abrahams, began creating spoof comedies 50 years ago, and we originated our own style – and we executed it so effectively that it appears simple, clearly. Others began imitating it, like the new film's producer for the recent reboot. He completely misunderstood it."
Zucker continued: "It might appear that we're just randomly trying ideas to see what sticks, but we're not. There's thought behind it."
The director further stated that it was futile to make the movie without Leslie Nielsen, who played Frank Drebin and passed away in 2010, remarking: "They attempted to substitute Leslie Nielsen in the new Naked Gun, and you can't replace him. No one else can do that."
Zucker had previously objected to the decision to proceed with a Naked Gun reboot, remarking last year that he was "not excited about having the series handed over to different individuals". He continued: "I have not been approached to make a cameo or participate in scripting. Regardless of if they're going to do a good job with it, this kind of spoof, I mean it isn't overly complex, but it's not easy."
However, after a series of favorable critiques and impressive financial performance following its launch in August, Zucker struck a more conciliatory tone, commenting: "I'm excited about it because it just demonstrates there's a strong market for comedy in cinemas, and parody specifically."
However, Zucker resumed his criticism in the new interview, questioning the financial investment. "Big budgets and comedy are opposites, and in the recent reboot, you could see that they spent a lot of money on scenes full of technical pizzazz while trying to copy our style."
Zucker further noted: "Everybody's in it for the money now, and that feels like the only reason why they decided to produce a fresh installment."
A software engineer and tech writer passionate about open-source projects and AI advancements.
