The original Naked Gun writer and director explain why a fourth film failed to develop and why they’re upset about the reboot with Liam Neeson.

O.J. Simpson, Leslie Nielsen, and George Kennedy in Naked Gun

SUMMARY

The original Naked Gun director and writer express disappointment over a reboot with Liam Neeson and feel they should be the ones involved.
Paramount passed on their version of Naked Gun 4 in favor of the reboot, which is heading in a completely different direction.
Due to strikes, the production of the Naked Gun reboot has been delayed, and it’s uncertain where it currently stands, although the original writer and director will not be involved.

The original Naked Gun director David Zucker and writer Pat Proft explain why a fourth film failed to develop, and why they’re upset about the reboot with Liam Neeson. Based on the Police Squad! TV series, the original Naked Gun trilogy was released from 1988 to 1994 following the comedic exploits of the incompetent police detective, Lt. Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen. As of 2022, a reboot starring Liam Neeson as Frank Drebin Jr. has been in active development.

During a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Zucker and Proft opened up about their own version of the fourth film, which Paramount ultimately passed on in favor of a Naked Gun reboot with Seth MacFarlane writing, Akiva Schaffer directing, and Liam Neeson starring. Proft is “not pleased” with the reboot and thinks he should be the one writing it. Read their full comments below:

Zucker: Pat, Mike and I wrote a script for Naked Gun 4, and we heard Jon Gonda at Paramount had read the script and laughed all the way through it. But somewhere along the line, they decided not to go with Pat and Mike and me. So that’s when they got Seth MacFarlane, and he has Akiva Schaffer directing Liam Neeson. I was never able to meet with Seth.

Proft: I’m not happy — and there’s a story with it. But I’m not pleased. It may come out and may be great — and good for that — but I sure as f**k should be writing it. I should have done this one.

Zucker: About four years ago, Pat and I had one meeting over at Paramount with the then-head of production there. It was a woman who complained about some joke that Pat and I wrote about a police officer having to adjust her Kevlar vest or have a breast reduction or something. It’s just a stupid, mild joke, but that was too much for them. So I can’t even imagine how they’re limiting whoever does Naked Gun 4, if they’re that frightened. We’re not involved, and we’ve repurposed what was going to be Naked Gun 4 — as we called it, Counterintelijence, spelled with one L and a J — and we’re going to go out with that one.

Proft: We’ve been totally blocked out of it. The unfortunate part of it is that Paramount owns it, so they can do what they f**king want. So that’s it.

Zucker: Akiva did reach out and came to my house. I had a very nice meeting with him. He’s a great guy, and we just talked about comedy. At some point, maybe they were going to give me the script. They wanted me to be involved, but I never got a script, so nothing ever came of it.

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Everything We Know About Naked Gun 4

Liam Neeson & Seth McFarlane Have Talked About a Naked Gun Reboot

As the original writer and director make clear, they are no longer involved in any way with Naked Gun 4, which is heading in an entirely different direction. It was first reported in October 2022 that a Naked Gun reboot was in development with Liam Neeson playing the son of Detective Frank Drebin instead of taking on the iconic role himself. Seth MacFarlane is producing and writing the reboot with The Lonely Island‘s Akiva Schaffer attached to direct. In February 2023, Liam Neeson offered an update on the Naked Gun reboot:

Yes, Paramount Studios, I think. I approached Seth MacFarlane. He and his team are working on it, the scripts. So, we’re hoping to go in the summertime.

Due to the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the Naked Gun reboot wasn’t able to start shooting in the summer of 2023, as Neeson says was the original plan. Because of the writers strike, MacFarlane wasn’t able to work on the script from May to September 2023 and the ensuing actors strike prevented the casting or production process from taking place from July 14 to November 9, 2023. With both strikes over, it’s unclear where the Naked Gun reboot stands, but one thing is certain, the original writer and director won’t be involved.