Original Naked Gun Director Renews Attack 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 newly released revival featuring Liam Neeson, following a short period where he seemed to adopt a more conciliatory tone in the aftermath of the film's cinema debut.
Director's Disapproval of the New Film's Style
During a fresh discussion, Zucker stated that Seth MacFarlane, the producer behind the new Naked Gun and previously the director and co-writer of the Ted movies, "completely failed to grasp" the parody genre approach that Zucker, together with his collaborators Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams, made famous in Airplane! and the initial trilogy of Naked Gun films.
"My brother, Jerry, and our partner, Jim Abrahams, started doing spoof comedies 50 years ago, and we originated our own style – and we executed it so effectively that it appears simple, clearly. Others began imitating it, like Seth MacFarlane for the recent reboot. He totally missed it."
He added: "It might appear that we're just randomly trying ideas to see what sticks, but we're not. Consideration is involved."
Leslie Nielsen's Legacy
The director further stated that it was futile to make the movie without Leslie Nielsen, who portrayed the iconic character and who died in 2010, saying: "They attempted to substitute Leslie Nielsen in the recent revival, and you can't replace him. Nobody else is capable of that."
Previous Reservations and Changing Stance
Zucker had previously objected to the decision to proceed 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. Whether or not they're going to do a good job with it, this style of parody, I mean it's not rocket science, but it's not easy."
However, after a series of favorable critiques and impressive financial performance after its release in August, Zucker adopted a more agreeable stance, saying: "I am pleased by it because it just demonstrates there's a healthy audience for comedy in movie theatres, and spoof in particular."
Renewed Disapproval Over Financial Aspects
However, Zucker returned to the attack in the recent discussion, criticising the amount of money involved. "Large financial outlays and humor are incompatible, and in the recent reboot, you could see that they invested heavily on scenes with impressive technical effects while attempting to replicate our style."
Zucker further noted: "Everybody's in it for the money now, and that feels like the only reason why they decided to produce a new Naked Gun."