David Zucker, one of the co-creators of “The Naked Gun” comedy franchise, is branching out into teaching ― no joke!
But the subject Zucker is teaching isn’t chemistry, math or English. It’s comedy.
Zucker is now offering a Master Class program that teaches the fundamentals of spoof comedy, of which the man who co-directed and wrote films like “Airplane,” “Scary Movie 3,” and “Top Secret” is an acknowledged master.
The program offers aspiring parodists a chance to learn what he calls the 15 essential rules for writing, directing and editing comedy that he created with his brother, Jerry, and longtime collaborator Jim Abrahams.
Zucker admits it’s hard to teach someone to be funny, but the 15 rules he and his colleagues devised cracked a comedy code that turned deadpan exchanges like, “‘Surely, you can’t be serious?’ ‘I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley,’” into classic film hilarity.
The audience for a class of how to make film parodies is admittedly pretty niche, and Zucker figures professional filmmakers might already know the rules.
However, there is one group he believes would be a perfect market for the class: The folks who made “The Naked Gun” remake starring Liam Neeson that is currently in theaters.
“They would have benefited,” Zucker said cheekily to celebrity.land. “I think they broke all the rules.”
“Think” is a key word here, as Zucker hasn’t seen the complete film, just the trailer.
Zucker did cite a scene where Neeson thwarts a bank robbery by going undercover in a schoolgirl outfit, complete with tiny skirt, as breaking the “Jerry Lewis rule,” where someone does every possible crazy thing to get a laugh.
“That was ‘Jerry Lewis’ to me,” Zucker admitted. “We don’t make characters into clowns.”
Zucker is quick to add that he has nothing against the people who made the latest “Naked Gun” incarnation.
“They are nice guys and mean well and are fans, but [film parodies are] difficult unless you follow the rules,” Zucker said.
That is slightly more diplomatic than his initial reaction when the trailer for the new film broke in April.
Zucker told TMZ at the time that he probably wouldn’t be seeing the remake, but didn’t want anyone to take it personally.
“I never saw ‘Airplane 2’ because you can’t unsee that stuff,” he said. “I’m not planning on seeking the ‘Naked Gun’ remake either. I regret having seen the trailer for it. It’s like watching ‘2 Girls 1 Cup.’ I can’t unsee it.”
Although Zucker is trying to be diplomatic, the fact is Paramount, the company that owns the right to “The Naked Gun,” passed over an original script he had co-written with two others and gave the franchise to “Family Guy” creator Seth MacFarlane.
Zucker said the studio heads did like his reboot script despite the rejection.
His proposed script was initially titled “Naked Gun: Nordberg Did It,” after the accident-prone cop portrayed by O.J. Simpson in the original films.
“I get asked about him all the time,” Zucker said. “I joke that I gave him my knife collection.”
Zucker hopes to rework that script into a new comedy, “Counter Intelijence,” and is also working on a film noir spoof called “The Star of Malta” that he hopes to start filming once he raises $12 million.
“I’m looking for billionaires,” he said.
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