Naked Gun Co-Creator Says Scrapped Movie May Get New Life After Liam Neeson Film

Hollywood loves a reboot, sometimes to a fault. And when we're talking about The Naked Gun—that chaotic, deadpan crime spoof that gave us Leslie Nielsen fumbling through detective work—it’s no surprise that studios keep poking at the idea for another go. But while Liam Neeson has indeed stepped up with a recent reboot, there’s an alternate version of a sequel from one of the franchise’s original minds that’s still lurking in the background. Yep, David Zucker (as in the Airplane! and Naked Gun guy) has a script he’s not ready to bury, and he’s not shy about how the studio handled things.

Zucker’s Lost Sequel: 'Counterintelijence'

David Zucker recently sat down and talked about a would-be follow-up movie he co-wrote with Pat Proft and Mike McManus called 'Counterintelijence'—and the story behind it is a pretty classic case of Hollywood jettisoning something interesting in favor of the safest bet. According to Zucker, this script was pitched to Paramount as a way to evolve the franchise. Instead of sticking with the familiar aging-cop formula, Zucker wanted a new tone: think spy-thriller, but full of that signature spoof energy. It would riff on big action franchises like The Bourne Identity, James Bond, and Mission: Impossible, but just as silly and chaotic as The Naked Gun ever was.

The twist? Instead of meta-replacing Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin with a different face (which is how the reboot with Neeson plays it), Zucker wanted to move down a generation. The new lead would be Drebin’s son—‘truly the son of Frank,’ as Zucker likes to put it—shifting the focus to a younger character rather than just rebooting the same old joke.

What Actually Happened at Paramount?

In a very Zucker move, he didn’t hold back about why the studio ditched his approach. He says Paramount brought in 'somebody else,' and the direction they took (i.e., the Neeson reboot) didn’t exactly blow anyone away. In Zucker’s opinion, swapping out Nielsen with a new star and rehashing the old storylines ends up missing the point. He put it like this, set off for emphasis:

'You can’t replace Leslie. And I wouldn’t want to.'

Instead, he called his original film concept unique for its era, but says it would be a mistake to just redo that formula now without offering something totally new.

The State of Zucker’s Unmade 'Naked Gun' Sequel

Even after Hollywood gave his script the cold shoulder, Zucker hasn’t exactly shut up shop. He keeps calling the Counterintelijence script 'a great, great script,' and said flat out that he still hopes they’ll make it one day. In true Zucker style, he also joked that he’d only return to the series 'if they replace all the moron executives' at the studio who passed on his take. Classic.

'Naked Gun' Franchise Status: Quick Breakdown

• Zucker’s Version ('Counterintelijence'): Spy spoof centering on Frank Drebin’s son, meant to bring fresh parody energy to the franchise.
• Paramount’s Route: Hired other writers, made the Liam Neeson reboot, ended up with a less exciting redress of the original.
• Where Things Stand: Zucker’s script is shelved for now, but he’s still fighting to get it made—no active production, but not dead either.

If you’re the sort of person who thinks the world needs a Naked Gun spy spoof—something actually different, not just a carbon copy—file this in the 'maybe, someday' pile. Until then, the saga of Zucker vs. Reboot will just keep getting weirder.