The classic “Naked Gun” franchise, known for its slapstick humor and iconic characters, is gearing up for a revival with a reboot featuring Liam Neeson. However, the original director, David Zucker, and writer, Pat Proft, recently expressed their disappointment over not being part of the project and their thoughts on the direction it’s taken.
The “Naked Gun” series, born out of the “Police Squad!” TV show, brought laughter to audiences from 1988 to 1994, primarily through the bumbling antics of the beloved character, Lt. Frank Drebin, portrayed by the late Leslie Nielsen. But as of 2022 plans for a reboot starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. have been actively in the works.
In a candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zucker and Proft shared their perspective on their own version of the fourth “Naked Gun“ film and the studio’s decision to opt for a reboot with a new creative team.
Zucker revealed, “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.”
Proft expressed his frustration, stating, “I’m not happy — and there’s a story with it. But I’m not pleased. It may come out and may be great — and good for that — but I sure as f**k should be writing it. I should have done this one.”
Zucker also shed light on an earlier meeting with Paramount, noting, “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.”
The writers and director expressed their sense of being sidelined, with Zucker revealing, “We’ve been totally blocked out of it. The unfortunate part of it is that Paramount owns it, so they can do what they f**king want. So that’s it.”
In contrast to the estrangement of the original team, Akiva Schaffer, the director of the upcoming reboot, reached out to Zucker, stating, “Akiva did reach out and came to my house. I had a very nice meeting with him. He’s a great guy, and we just talked about comedy. At some point, maybe they were going to give me the script. They wanted me to be involved, but I never got a script, so nothing ever came of it.”
“The Naked Gun” reboot, which was announced in October 2022, features Liam Neeson as the son of Detective Frank Drebin. Seth MacFarlane is producing and writing the script, with Akiva Schaffer attached to direct. However, the production faced delays due to dual strikes by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA. The strikes disrupted the original schedule, affecting both the scriptwriting and casting process.
While the future of “The Naked Gun“ reboot remains uncertain, one thing is clear: the original writer and director won’t be part of this new adventure. As fans eagerly await the revival of this beloved franchise, they will witness a fresh take on the classic humor that captured hearts decades ago.
