David Zucker, the filmmaker behind the original The Naked Gun trilogy, has sharply criticised the new franchise reboot starring Liam Neeson, accusing the 2025 film of imitating his gag-driven style while missing the spirit of the earlier movies. In recent interviews, Zucker said the reboot was “trying to copy our style” and argued that “everybody’s in it for the money now,” framing the project as a corporate exercise rather than a creative extension of the series he developed with Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.
Zucker has said his spoof comedies are built on a set of 15 internal rules that he now teaches, and that the new film ignores those principles. He has singled out the reboot’s reported 42 million dollar budget and emphasis on visual spectacle as examples of what he thinks comedy should avoid, contending that elaborate technical sequences work against the deadpan, joke-dense tone that defined the original films. He also revealed that he turned down an executive producer credit and an invitation to watch an early cut, saying in an earlier conversation with The Hollywood Reporter that he could not support a version he did not believe in creatively.
The new film, directed by Akiva Schaffer and produced by Seth MacFarlane, casts Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr., the son of Leslie Nielsen’s bumbling detective, with Pamela Anderson among the key co-stars. Released in August, it has taken in just over 102 million dollars worldwide against its 42 million dollar budget and holds a strong critic score on major review aggregators, with several reviewers praising its brisk pace, dense joke writing and the leads’ commitment to the absurd material. Audience polling has been similarly upbeat, and producers have already indicated that early talks about a follow-up are under way.
Supporters of the reboot argue that it blends updated targets with affectionate nods to the original trilogy, pointing to sight gags and character beats designed as direct homages. Online reaction to Zucker’s remarks has been mixed, with some fans sharing his concern that studios lean on brand recognition and others countering that the new film demonstrates there is still room for broad theatrical comedy built around physical gags and wordplay. Several commentators have also noted that MacFarlane did not write or direct the reboot, suggesting that blame or credit for its tone sits more squarely with Schaffer and his co-writers, even as the debate over who “owns” The Naked Gun’s comic identity continues.
