Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Original 'Naked Gun' Director David Zucker Says 2025 Reboot 'Missed It,' Citing Big-Budget Approach

The critique follows a commercially successful, well-reviewed reboot led by Liam Neeson.

Overview

  • Zucker told Woman’s World that producer Seth MacFarlane copied the ZAZ spoof style without grasping its rules.
  • He argued comedies should avoid large budgets and criticized the reboot’s “technical pizzazz,” contrasting its reported $42 million cost with the original’s roughly $14.5 million.
  • The 2025 installment stars Liam Neeson, is produced by MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, and is directed by Akiva Schaffer from a script by Schaffer, Dan Gregor and Doug Mand.
  • Since its Aug. 1 release, the film has grossed about $102.1 million worldwide and holds an 88% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
  • Zucker says Paramount rejected his own script for a fourth entry before proceeding with the new version without his involvement.