Overview
- In a new Woman's World interview, the original director says the film tried to copy the ZAZ spoof style without understanding the method behind it.
- Zucker criticizes the production’s $42 million spend as wasteful “technical pizzazz,” asserting that big budgets work against comedy.
- He contends Leslie Nielsen’s performance is irreplaceable, noting the reboot casts Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin’s son under director Akiva Schaffer.
- Zucker says Paramount passed on his spec script for a fourth film, and he declined both an executive-producer credit and an invitation to see an early cut.
- Despite his objections, the 2025 film produced by Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins earned $102.1 million worldwide and an 88% critics score, with no reported public rebuttal from the filmmakers.