'They haven’t involved me': David Zucker voices displeasure as Paramount moves forward with 'Naked Gun' reboot without him
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: David Zucker, co-creator of 'Naked Gun', has expressed his disappointment, revealing that he won't be part of the reboot scheduled for release in 2025.
Zucker, alongside Jim Abrahams, Pat Proft, Michael McManus, and his brother Jerry Zucker, co-created the franchise. He recently disclosed to TMZ that the studio hasn't reached out for his assistance.
Paramount Studios has recently unveiled plans for a July 2025 release of 'The Naked Gun' reboot, featuring Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson in the lead roles.
David Zucker reveals he is ‘not involved’ in the new film
During his interview with the news outlet, David Zucker didn't hold back in expressing his grievances.
The 76-year-old director said, “Paramount is just going ahead and doing it, they haven’t involved me.”
He continued, “So, I don’t have any thoughts on it,” before adding, “They're just gonna do what they want, that's Hollywood.”
Citing his co-creators, he said, “We were not excited about having the franchise given to other people.”
Zucker and his co-creators have been in talks for a reboot project since 2017, which did not materialize.
He shared, “At the time, I couldn’t believe it because we thought we had a great script, and they loved the script from what we heard.”
He continued to shade the studio, saying, “I don't have any control over it, I'm not involved. They haven't asked me for my help. It's completely their concept, and they're just gonna go ahead and do it.”
The Hollywood veteran revealed, “They have not contacted me to make a cameo or be involved in the writing. Whether or not they're going to do a good job with it — this kind of spoof, I mean it’s not rocket science, but it's not easy.”
He went on to say, “And I always say, 'Kids, don’t try this at home.' We kinda developed this way of doing spoof over years and years,” before adding, “We kinda know the roles. But that’s not to say that somebody else can't do it in their style.”
The ‘Airplane!’ director commended that the “younger generations” are now discovering his work, before noting, “I don't know whether or not a remake of Naked Gun will especially move the needle one way or the other, as far as people watching Naked Gun again.”
More on the upcoming reboot
The upcoming reboot was announced in 2022 when it was declared that ‘The Lonely Island’ member Akiva Schaffer was writing and directing the new film.
Apart from Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes is also slated to appear in the cast.
In February, Paramount revealed the film is slated to release on July 15, 2025.
