David Zucker Reveals Details of Scrapped Naked Gun 4 Script

David Zucker, the co-writer of the original The Naked Gun trilogy and director of its first two installments, has revealed the existence of a scrapped fourth film that was developed prior to the 2025 reboot.

Speaking with Screen Rant ahead of an appearance at the Netflix is a Joke festival, Zucker explained that a script for a fourth entry was written by Pat Proft and Mike McManus. This version would have served as a minor reboot within the existing continuity, but Paramount Pictures ultimately rejected the project.

The rejected script would have shifted the focus away from the original lead, following the thirtysomething son of Frank Drebin. Zucker noted that the plot would have placed the character within the world of international spy thrillers, serving as a parody of franchises such as James Bond and Mission: Impossible.

Zucker argued that the shift in protagonist was necessary because the concept of an elderly police officer was a fresh idea 40 years ago but had since become stale.

Critique of the 2025 Reboot

The 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun, which starred Liam Neeson, was released in cinemas in the summer of 2025. Produced on a $42 million budget, the film grossed $102 million and later became a hit on Amazon’s streaming platform.

Despite the film’s commercial performance, Zucker expressed dissatisfaction with the studio’s direction. He claimed that after rejecting his team’s script, the studio hired somebody else, and it turned out to be less than great.

If you’re a hack, all you can do is just copy it and try to replace Leslie Nielsen, which is impossible. You can’t replace Leslie. And I wouldn’t want to. Liam is a fine actor, but the idea was just so stale that all they could do, they couldn’t hope to do the same as the originals. But I’m excited about this. We’re still going to use our original script that would’ve been the one Paramount rejected, and we’re calling it Counterintelijence, spelled with one L and a J. It’s a great, great script, which we’ll do someday.

David Zucker

Zucker indicated that he does not see the project returning as an official entry in The Naked Gun franchise unless the studio fire[s] all the moron executives that they had that did the 2025 production.

Comedy Philosophy and Future Plans

The revelation about the lost script follows previous comments from Zucker regarding the nature of comedy in the modern era. He previously stated that many of the comedies he directed could not be produced today, noting that his team went where the laughs were.

Reflecting on his approach to humor, Zucker said, We never thought that we were offending anyone, but if we were offending people we knew we were on the right track.

While the official franchise continues under Paramount, Zucker remains hopeful that his rejected script, now titled Counterintelijence, will eventually be produced as a standalone project.

Zucker is scheduled to host a Q&A session regarding the original 1988 film at the Netflix is a Joke festival, though he joked that he would try not to appear as bitter during the event.