has made it clear that he is not thrilled about the upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun
being a thing. Having reportedly been shut out of the new movie, Zucker became known for not only The Naked Gun franchise, but movies such as Airplane, which also starred rubber-faced Leslie Neilsen in the lead role. With a new teaser having just been released for the upcoming movie, which puts Liam Neeson in the role of Nielsen’s character’s son, Zucker shared his response to the first look at the film with a less than complimentary comparison.
Many fans of The Naked Gun have been quite happy with the idea of a new film in the franchise, and while Neeson has become known for his rough, tough action roles, that perhaps makes him the perfect choice to send up his action persona with a more comedic approach. While the first footage, which includes Neeson appearing in a schoolgirl uniform and an O.J. Simpson diss, has been well-received by many, Zucker really has no interest in seeing the rest of the movie. He told TMZ:
“I never saw ‘Airplane 2’ because you can’t unsee that stuff. I’m not planning on seeing the ‘Naked Gun’ remake either. I regret having seen the trailer for it. It’s like watching ‘2 Girls 1 Cup.’ I can’t unsee it.”
Related
Liam Neeson uses his unique set of skills in the funniest way possible in the first trailer for ‘The Naked Gun.’
We won’t go into details of what the very NSFW adult video he is referencing entails, but it really puts you off your chocolate ice cream. Definitely don’t Google it in a public place. Let’s just say, it gives a very clear impression of Zucker’s feelings for the Naked Gun reboot.
Why Is David Zucker So Pissed About ‘The Naked Gun’ Reboot?
For many years, it seemed that a Naked Gun reboot would be made with David Zucker’s involvement. In fact, he even offered up some ideas and script of his own for the project many years ago. However, things changed and Zucker ended up being shut out of the project in favor of a new team, which includes executive producer Seth MacFarlane.
Back in 2023, franchise co-creator Zucker and original writer Pat Proft revealed that they were set to write the fourth movie in the franchise, but were replaced when a female Paramount exec didn’t like the inclusion of a “stupid, mild joke.” Zucker explained that the rejection of their script came after things seemed to be moving along well. He said:
“Pat, Mike and I wrote a script for Naked Gun 4, and we heard Jon Gonda at Paramount had read the script and laughed all the way through it, but somewhere along the line, they decided not to go with Pat and Mike and me. So that’s when they got Seth MacFarlane, and he has Akiva Schaffer directing Liam Neeson. I was never able to meet with Seth.
About four years ago, Pat and I had one meeting over at Paramount with the then-head of production there. It was a woman who complained about some joke that Pat and I wrote about a police officer having to adjust her Kevlar vest or have a breast reduction or something. It’s just a stupid, mild joke, but that was too much for them. So I can’t even imagine how they’re limiting whoever does Naked Gun 4, if they’re that frightened.”
Of course, this was always going to leave something of a sour taste for Zucker, and it is clear that he isn’t about to forgive and forget. Meanwhile, Neeson will get his shot of becoming as big a comedy icon as an action one when The Naked Gun hits cinemas later this year.
Source: TMZ
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