David Zucker Slams Liam Neeson’s ‘Naked Gun’ Reboot: “All About Money”
UPDATE: Filmmaker David Zucker, director of the original Naked Gun films, has publicly criticized the reboot starring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, claiming it misses the mark on the iconic spoof comedy style.
In a recent interview with Woman’s World, Zucker expressed his disappointment, stating that the new film, simply titled The Naked Gun, fails to capture the essence of the original series created by Zucker, his brother Jerry, and partner Jim Abrahams. “It totally missed,” he explained. “We did it so well that it looks easy, evidently.”
The reboot, directed by Akiva Schaffer, follows Neeson’s character, Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the late Leslie Nielsen‘s iconic detective. Zucker emphasized that attempting to replace Nielsen is a mistake: “You can’t replace him. No one else can do that.”
With a hefty production budget of approximately $42 million, Zucker criticized the financial decisions behind the film. He noted that the original 1988 film was made for just $15 million—equivalent to about $41 million today when adjusted for inflation. “Big budgets and comedy are opposites,” he stated. “You shouldn’t spend too much money on comedies.”
Zucker further claimed that the new film’s focus on elaborate production values detracts from the humor. “You could see that they spent a lot of money on scenes full of technical pizzazz while trying to copy our style,” he remarked. “Everybody’s in it for the money now.”
Despite the backlash, Zucker acknowledged that there is a market for comedy, particularly spoof genres, suggesting that the positive reception of the reboot indicates audience demand. “There’s a strong market for comedy in movie theaters,” he said, though he has no plans to watch the film himself.
Zucker previously conveyed to The Hollywood Reporter that he declined an invitation from Schaffer to view an early cut of the film, stating, “There’s nothing I could do to help because it really isn’t what I would have done.” He expressed goodwill toward Schaffer but maintained his criticism of the reboot’s direction.
As the discourse around the reboot intensifies, fans of the original Naked Gun films may find themselves divided. Will the new film succeed in capturing the charm of its predecessors, or will it falter under the weight of high expectations and a substantial budget? Only time will tell, but Zucker’s remarks shed light on the ongoing debate surrounding the legacy of comedy in cinema.
Stay tuned for updates as more reactions to the reboot emerge, and see how audiences respond to this latest rendition of a beloved classic.
