David Zucker, one-third of the comic powerhouse behind Airplane! and The Naked Gun series, is not one to mince words. In an upcoming livestream with longtime collaborator Pat Proft, Zucker will lay it bare: he has nothing to do with the new Naked Gun reboot—by choice.
“I haven’t seen the trailer. I’m not intending to see the movie,” Zucker said bluntly. “I’m not going to spend any time on it.” Why? Because the studio didn’t want his ideas—they just wanted his name. “They assume I’m old and using a walker and I can’t do it anymore,” he deadpanned. “I guess talent leaves after age 40 in Hollywood.”
David Zucker, Pat Proft, Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, and Jerry Zucker pose during filming of The Naked Gun
“I haven’t seen the trailer. I’m not intending to see the movie. I’m not going to spend any time on it.”
Zucker and Proft had originally pitched a continuation titled Naked Gun 4: Nordberg Did It—later renamed Naked Impossible—a spy spoof set in the world of Mission: Impossible and Jason Bourne. Instead of resurrecting the same precinct, they opted for a fresh setting and a new protagonist: Frank Drebin’s son, imagined as a more modern, comedic type. “An Andy Samberg type,” Zucker noted, emphasizing he and Proft had no intention of casting another dramatic actor à la Leslie Nielsen.
Paramount liked their script. Until, well, they didn’t. “Suddenly, we learned that other people had come in and taken over the franchise,” Zucker said. That “other people” included Seth MacFarlane and director Akiva Schaffer. “That’s Hollywood,” Zucker shrugged. “Big studio. Big producer. Big stars. Whole different approach than we would’ve done.”
The State of Comedy: “Ruined by the 9 Percenters”
It’s not just being left out of Naked Gun that irks Zucker—it’s the larger cultural shift that’s made film comedy limp. “Comedy today has become safe,” he lamented. “Studios are afraid. They’re a frightened bunch.”
Zucker calls out the “nine percenters”—a term he coined for the minority of the population who lack a sense of humor but dictate the creative direction. “PC (Political Correctness) has ruined comedy to a large extent,” he said. “Because 9% of the population doesn’t have a sense of humor, it’s ruining it for everybody else.”
Priscilla Presley and Leslie Nielsen in one of The Naked Gun’s unforgettable comedic scenes
“Because 9% of the population doesn’t have a sense of humor, it’s ruining it for everybody else.”
To help counter this decline, Zucker and Proft launched “Master Crash,” a comedic writing course based on their team’s fifteen “rules” of spoof—like “don’t make a joke on top of a joke,” or “keep speeches under six lines.” The fifteenth rule? “There are no rules.”
But Zucker insists structure matters. “People don’t realize there’s a lot of discipline to it,” he said. “When we write Airplane! or The Naked Gun, we fight over every word. It’s exact.”
No Nostalgia, Just Originality
While studios scramble to reboot anything with a brand, Zucker is clear: don’t ask him to rehash his greatest hits. “We’ve done The Naked Gun. That was done. I don’t think anybody’s going to surpass the original because it was fresh and original.”
Trey Parker and Matt Stone hold the trophy in the final game scene from BASEketball
“Nobody can take over South Park—it’s their particular genius.”
He also won’t blame studios alone for comedy’s woes. “A lot of people are doing comedy who don’t really know what they’re doing,” he said. “You can’t just stand on stage and say something funny. There’s a method.”
Still, Zucker’s hope lies with the genuinely funny and fearless: South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, and Impractical Jokers. “Those guys are original,” he said. “Nobody can take over South Park—it’s their particular genius.”
Looking Ahead, Not Back
Zucker isn’t wallowing. He’s developing a new noir comedy set in 1949 with Proft and Mike McManus. “It’s a wonderful story. We’re hoping to get into pre-production soon,” he said. They’ve also retooled their rejected Naked Gun sequel script into something entirely new. “We’re still working. We want to do a fresh approach.”
As for studios clinging to IPs and familiar names, Zucker gets it—just don’t expect him to play along. “They want a big star and a big name, which is The Naked Gun,” he said. “But unfortunately, that excluded my team from doing it.”
Leslie Nielsen delivers a hilariously off-key rendition of the national anthem in The Naked Gun
“They want a big star and a big name…But unfortunately, that excluded my team from doing it.”
David Zucker might be the father of modern spoof, but he’s not stuck in the past. He just wants Hollywood to stop chasing ghosts—and start laughing again.
David Zucker will be doing a livestream tonight with Pat Proft on June 17, at 6 PM PST / 9 PM EST across YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram! They are ready to answer any and all of your questions about their body of work, from Kentucky Fried Movie to the Naked Gun. You can also learn about the 15 Rules of Spoof Comedy when it launches in July at Master Crash.
Watch the full interview here as Alan and David Zucker discuss the state of comedy, how to make a comedy, and more into his dealings with Paramount.
