David Zucker, the director of the original Naked Gun films and co-creator of Airplane!, isn’t laughing at the franchise’s return — especially not with Liam Neeson in the lead. Following the trailer drop for the upcoming reboot, Zucker made his stance clear:
"You can’t replace Leslie Nielsen. That’s the thing," he told Fox News Digital.
While the new film, set to hit cinemas in August 2025, is backed by Family Guy’s Seth MacFarlane and directed by SNL veteran Akiva Schaffer, Zucker doesn’t believe it captures the original spirit.
"It’s painful, but it’s just not what I would have done," he said, expressing his disapproval of the creative direction.
Zucker, who spent years shaping the absurd yet precise humour that defined the Naked Gun series, was never consulted about the reboot. And that exclusion still stings:
"The Naked Gun and Airplane! — these are our babies… it was kind of a surprise to me when I was excluded from the remake."
With Neeson joined by Pamela Anderson, Paul Walter Hauser, and Kevin Durand, the new Naked Gun is aiming for a modern revival. But for Zucker, the question remains: at what cost to the comedy that made it a cult classic?
