Original Naked Gun Director Renews Attack on Liam Neeson-Led Naked Gun Reboot
The filmmaker behind the classic of The Naked Gun, David Zucker, has renewed his verbal assault concerning the recent reboot featuring Liam Neeson, following a short period where he seemed to soften his stance in the aftermath of the film's cinema debut.
Director's Disapproval of the New Film's Style
During a fresh discussion, Zucker expressed 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 three original Naked Gun films.
"My brother, Jerry, and our partner, Jim Abrahams, began creating spoof comedies five decades in the past, and we developed a unique approach – and we did that so well that it looks easy, clearly. People started copying it, like the new film's producer for the new Naked Gun. He totally missed it."
Zucker continued: "It might appear that we're just randomly trying ideas to see what sticks, but we're not. Consideration is involved."
Leslie Nielsen's Legacy
Zucker added that it was pointless to produce the film without Leslie Nielsen, who played Frank Drebin and who died in 2010, saying: "They tried to replace Leslie Nielsen in the recent revival, and you can't replace him. Nobody else is capable of that."
Previous Reservations and Changing Stance
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". Adding: "They have not contacted me to appear briefly or participate in scripting. Regardless of if they're going to succeed with it, this style of parody, I mean it's not rocket science, but it is challenging."
However, after a string of positive reviews and impressive financial performance after its release in August, Zucker struck a more conciliatory tone, commenting: "I am pleased by it because it just demonstrates there's a strong market for comedy in movie theatres, and parody specifically."
Renewed Disapproval Over Financial Aspects
However, Zucker resumed his criticism in the new interview, questioning the financial investment. "Large financial outlays and humor are incompatible, and in the new Naked Gun, you could see that they spent a lot of money on scenes with impressive technical effects while trying to copy our style."
He added: "Everybody's in it for the money now, and that seems to be the only reason why they decided to produce a new Naked Gun."