David Zucker Launches Fresh Criticism on New Star-Led Naked Gun Revival
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 cinema debut.
Zucker's Critique of the New Film's Style
During a fresh discussion, Zucker stated that Seth MacFarlane, the producer behind the new Naked Gun and formerly the filmmaker and script collaborator of the Ted movies, "totally missed" the spoof-comedy style that Zucker, along with his partners Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, popularized in Airplane! and the three original Naked Gun films.
"My brother, Jerry, and our partner, Jim Abrahams, started doing spoof comedies five decades in the past, and we developed a unique approach – and we executed it so effectively that it appears simple, evidently. People started copying it, like the new film's producer for the recent reboot. He completely misunderstood it."
He added: "It might appear that we're just throwing stuff up against the wall 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 portrayed the iconic character and who died in 2010, saying: "They tried to replace Leslie Nielsen in the new Naked Gun, and you can't replace him. No one else can do that."
Previous Reservations and Shifting Tone
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 franchise given to different individuals". Adding: "They have not contacted me to make a cameo or participate in scripting. Whether or not they're going to do a good job with it, this kind of spoof, I mean it's not rocket science, but it's not easy."
However, after a string of positive reviews and strong box office returns after its release in August, Zucker struck a more conciliatory tone, saying: "I am pleased by it because it just demonstrates there's a healthy audience for comedy in movie theatres, and parody specifically."
Renewed Disapproval Over Budget Concerns
Yet, Zucker resumed his criticism in the recent discussion, criticising the amount of money involved. "Big budgets and comedy are opposites, and in the recent reboot, you could see that they invested heavily on scenes full of technical pizzazz while attempting to replicate our style."
He added: "Everybody's in it for the money now, and that feels like the only reason why they wanted to do a fresh installment."