Original Naked Gun Director Launches Fresh Criticism 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, after briefly appearing to adopt a more conciliatory tone following the premiere of the film's cinema debut.
Zucker's Critique of the New Film's Style
In a recent interview, 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 parody genre approach that Zucker, along with his collaborators Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, popularized 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 originated our own style – and we did that so well that it appears simple, clearly. Others began imitating it, like the new film's producer for the recent reboot. He completely misunderstood it."
He added: "It can look like we're just randomly trying ideas to see what sticks, but we're not. Consideration is involved."
The Irreplaceable Star
Zucker added that it was pointless to produce the film without Leslie Nielsen, who played Frank Drebin and passed away in 2010, remarking: "They tried to replace Leslie Nielsen in the recent revival, and he cannot be replaced. No one else can do that."
Earlier Objections and Shifting Tone
Zucker had previously objected to plans to go ahead with a Naked Gun reboot, remarking last year that he was "not enthusiastic regarding having the series handed over to other people". Adding: "I have not been approached to make a cameo or be involved in the writing. Regardless of if they're going to succeed with it, this kind of spoof, I mean it isn't overly complex, but it's not easy."
However, after a series of favorable critiques and impressive financial performance following its launch in August, Zucker struck a more conciliatory tone, saying: "I'm excited about it because it just demonstrates there's a healthy audience for comedy in movie theatres, and spoof in particular."
Renewed Disapproval Over Financial Aspects
Yet, Zucker returned to the attack in the recent discussion, questioning the financial investment. "Large financial outlays and humor are incompatible, and in the new Naked Gun, you could see that they invested heavily on scenes with impressive technical effects while trying to copy our style."
He added: "Everybody's in it for the money now, and that feels like the sole motivation why they decided to produce a fresh installment."