The Naked Gun reboot is now playing in theaters, earning rave reviews and a decent debut at the box office, but what does original director David Zucker think? Despite previously saying he was “excluded” from the film, Zucker told THR that he’s thrilled it’s been doing so well, particularly as it shows audiences are hungry for a well-made spoof comedy. However, he still doesn’t plan on watching it.
“I’m excited about it because it just shows that there’s a strong market for comedy in movie theaters, and spoof in particular,” Zucker said. “People are liking it, which is great. I really like the director, and I just couldn’t wish him more well. I texted him already, saying, ‘I hear the reviews are great, and it’s tracking well.’ He was very happy to hear from me, and we’ll probably get together later in the month when the smoke clears.“
Zucker continued, “I’m not gonna see it, but I don’t see any of the sequels that were of my material done by other people, and that’s fine. I’ve told Akiva that I have no intention to see it. He actually invited me to come see an early cut of it, but I told him there’s nothing I could do to help because it really isn’t what I would have done. That’s not to say that he didn’t actually end up doing a good movie. But I don’t think I could help with that.“
Paramount did offer Zucker an executive producer credit, but he turned it down. “I won’t take credit on anything that I didn’t work on from the beginning. I don’t need the money,” he said. “After the agents and managers, it would have paid three electric bills, probably. If it’s a big hit, Akiva should get the credit, and he deserves it.“
Our own Chris Bumbray said he had more fun watching The Naked Gun than anything in a long time. “Some might say The Naked Gun is stupid — and that’s exactly the point,” he wrote. “It’s stupid like a fox, and also really funny. It’s probably the best movie of its kind since Hot Shots: Part Deux, and honestly, I think I laughed more at this than I did watching The Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.” You can check out the rest of his review right here.