David Zucker, director of the 1988 classic The Naked Gun, has openly criticized the 2025 reboot starring Liam Neeson. He accuses the new production team of misunderstanding the specific comedy formula his team created while spending excessively on the project.
In an interview with Woman’s World, the 78-year-old filmmaker targeted producer Seth MacFarlane for what he sees as imitation without comprehension. Zucker stated,
My brother, Jerry, and our partner, Jim Abrahams, started doing spoof comedies 50 years ago, and we originated our own style — and we did that so well that it looks easy, evidently. People started copying it, like Seth MacFarlane for the new ‘Naked Gun.’ He totally missed it.
The dispute highlights a clash over budget philosophy and creative ownership. Zucker had previously submitted his own script for a fourth installment, titled The Naked Gun 44 1/4: Nordberg Did It, which Paramount rejected (via The Stunt List). He later learned the studio had hired MacFarlane for a new version without his involvement.
You shouldn’t spend too much money on comedies, and one of our rules is about technical pizzazz. Big budgets and comedy are opposites, and in the new Naked Gun, you could see that they spent a lot of money on scenes full of technical pizzazz while trying to copy our style.
The reboot’s $42 million budget stands in contrast to the original’s $14.5 million cost.
David Zucker Shaped Hollywood Comedy With Airplane! And Spoof Classics
David Zucker, his brother Jerry, and Jim Abrahams formed the ZAZ directing team that redefined American comedy. They started with The Kentucky Fried Movie in 1977, raising $650,000 independently after major studios passed on the concept. The film’s $7 million box office return proved their sketch comedy style was commercially sound (via Ultimate Classic Rock).
Their major breakthrough Airplane! (1980), was produced for $3.5 million and grossed $83.5 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). The disaster movie parody is now preserved in the National Film Registry for its cultural significance (via Library of Congress).
The ZAZ method was built on specific rules that Zucker continues to defend. First, they believed comedies should have low budgets to keep the focus on jokes rather than spectacle. Second, actors, particularly those known for serious dramatic roles, were instructed to play every scene completely straight.
This is why they cast dramatic actors like Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, and Peter Graves in Airplane!, having them deliver absurd lines with total sincerity.
The team adapted their short-lived TV series, Police Squad!, into The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! in 1988. ABC had canceled the show in 1982 after just four episodes. The film version, however, earned over $78 million domestically (via Box Office Mojo) and vindicated their approach.
Zucker also directed successful sequels and other spoofs, including Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4, though his 1998 film BASEketball was a notable commercial failure.
Why Original Naked Gun Is Better Than The Reboot
While the 2025 reboot earned $102.1 million globally (via Box Office Mojo), the original’s financial performance was superior. The 1988 film made $78 million in the US and Canada alone from a $14.5 million budget. When adjusted for inflation, that budget is just shy of $40 million in 2025 dollars, making the reboot’s $42 million cost comparatively higher.
The original film transformed Leslie Nielsen’s career, a feat the reboot did not replicate with Liam Neeson. Nielsen was a dramatic actor for decades before Zucker cast him at age 56, and his deadpan delivery worked because he treated every line with gravity. Critics noted that while Neeson was committed, he could not match Nielsen’s unique comedic timing. AP News awarded the reboot two out of four stars.
Creative choices in the reboot departed from ZAZ principles. Director Akiva Schaffer insisted on keeping an expensive, computer-generated snowman love scene (via Filmmaker Toolkit podcast), a prime example of the “technical pizzazz” Zucker warned against. The original film was known for its high joke density, including the famous opening credits sequence, which was largely cut from the 2025 version.
Do you agree with Zucker’s criticism of the reboot? Which Naked Gun film did you enjoy more and why?
The Naked Gun (2025) is available for streaming on Paramount+.
