David Zucker co-wrote and directed the original Naked Gun movie, but refused to accept a credit on the new movie, and says he will never watch it.
The new Naked Gun reboot – which stars Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. – has been a hit in cinemas, grossing a very respectable $17 million during the movie’s opening weekend.
We were fans, writing in our Naked Gun review that when it comes to gags, “there’s definitely more hits than misses, which is all you can ask of a movie where the joke rate is this high.”
But one man who won’t be watching is David Zucker, who was part of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker team that co-wrote the original.
Why David Zucker didn’t want credit on new Naked Gun movie
David Zucker was involved in all three of the original Naked Gun movies, and worked on a script for a fourth that revolved around Frank Drebin’s thirtysomething son.
Paramount decided to go in a different direction, pulling together a creative team that included Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane as producer, and Lonely Islander Akiva Schaffer as director.
They also used the son idea, but cast Liam Neeson in the role, making the character a lot older.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Zucker says that his lack of involvement makes him not want to see the movie, but he added: “I don’t see any of the sequels that were of my material done by other people, and that’s fine.
“I’ve told Akiva that I have no intention to see it. He actually invited me to come see an early cut of it, but I told him there’s nothing I could do to help because it really isn’t what I would have done. That’s not to say that he didn’t actually end up doing a good movie. But I don’t think I could help with that.”
Zucker also turned down an executive producer credit on the movie, for much the same reason: “I won’t take credit on anything that I didn’t work on from the beginning. I don’t need the money. After the agents and managers, it would have paid three electric bills, probably. If it’s a big hit, Akiva should get the credit, and he deserves it.”
Zucker believes the future is bright for spoofs
Studios have been putting fewer and fewer comedies in cinemas of late, but Zucker believes the success of The Naked Gun 2025 is a good sign.
“I’m excited about it because it just shows that there’s a strong market for comedy in movie theaters, and spoof in particular,” says Zucker. “People are liking it, which is great. I really like the director, and I just couldn’t wish him more well.
“I texted him already, saying, ‘I hear the reviews are great, and it’s tracking well.’ He was very happy to hear from me, and we’ll probably get together later in the month when the smoke clears.”
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