THE NAKED GUN 44 1/4: NORDBERG DID IT
(aka NAKED IMPOSSIBLE!)
Written by DAVID ZUCKER, PAT PROFT, & MICHAEL MCMANUS
Keep reading below for the EXCLUSIVE Naked Gun script excerpts!
Did you see those trailers for The Naked Gun starring Liam Neeson? Maybe you actually saw the film. If you did, you might be wondering why something felt “off.” That’s because David Zucker, one of the original ZAZ (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) writers and directors of the original Naked Gun films, was not invited to participate. While Zucker wishes the new filmmakers well, he will not be seeing this 2025 reboot of the franchise he helped create.
Back in 2018, he teamed up with his frequent collaborators, Pat Proft and Michael McManus, and they wrote a full-length script for a fourth Naked Gun film. Their drafts had two different titles: The Naked Gun 44 1/4: Nordberg Did It, and then it was called Naked Impossible! This script features a thirty-something Frank Drebin Jr. and spoofs spy films such as James Bond and Mission Impossible.
Zucker told The Stunt List that he wrote the part of Frank Drebin Jr. with actor Andy Samberg in mind. Zucker and his team have since renamed the characters and repurposed their Naked Gun script as Counter Intelijence (intentional misspelling) so there’s still a chance you could see their vision. Can someone please get Andy Samberg on the phone?
And it’s a very busy year for David Zucker:
Check out his book called Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane co-written with his longtime ZAZ team of his brother, Jerry Zucker, and Jim Abrahams (who sadly passed away in 2024). Zucker will also be hosting screenings of an Airplane! Director’s Cut alongside actor Robert Hays.
Zucker is also launching MasterCrash: A Crash Course in Spoof Comedy, MasterCrash will give filmmakers, writers, creators, and comedy fans the chance to learn ZAZ’s (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker) 15 essential rules of spoof writing while collaborating with other MC students. Enrolling in MasterCrash offers the chance to take monthly calls with Zucker and receive access to exclusive content, like surprise guest lecturers, all while learning hands-on with Zucker himself. These are just a few benefits that MasterCrash offers students, with many more exciting opportunities to come.
MasterCrash is a nine-hour course that will be delivered through 18 separate videos to help build the foundational skills for directing spoof comedy films and writing jokes that land. To sign up for the course, get on the mailing list, and stay up to date on the latest details, visit MasterCrash.com. Zucker is excited to share his extensive knowledge of spoof writing with the next generation of filmmakers and directors.
More info can be found here:
YouTube: @MasterCrashComedy Facebook: @TheDavidZucker
Instagram: @TheDavidZucker X: @TheDavidZucker
And here it is, the script pages you seek! Cue The Naked Gun theme music!
After you read the excerpt and meet the writers below, scroll down for A Note About Comedy and a review of their full Naked Gun script from Stunt List co-founder Eric Moyer. Zucker, Proft, and McManus also have a script in pre-production called Star of Malta, a spoof of noir films.
MEET THE WRITERS
DAVID ZUCKER
Part of the writing group know as ZAZ (Zucker, Abrahams, Zucker) and either wrote, directed, or co-wrote Airplane!, Top Secret!, Police Squad, The Naked Gun Original Trilogy, BASEketball, High School High, Scary Movie 3, 4, & 5, and more!
PAT PROFT
An Emmy-nominated writer who wrote or co-wrote Police Academy, Real Genius, Bachelor Party, Hot Shots!, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, Scary Movie 3 & 4, and more, including Wrongfully Accused, which he also directed.
MICHAEL MACMANUS
Co-wrote Mafia! with Jim Abrahams and is also an actor who has appeared in shows such as Married With Children, Night Court, Coach, Perfect Strangers and much more!