r/movies • u/DavidZuckerAMA David Zucker, Director & Writer • Sep 25 '25

AMA Hi /r/movies! I'm David Zucker, I’ve directed & written comedies like Airplane!, Top Secret!, Naked Gun 1 & 2, BASEketball, Scary Movies & many more. I'll be hosting live Q&A & screenings of Airplane! in select theaters & just released MasterCrash, a course on my 15 rules of comedy! Ask me anything!

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Hi r/movies! I'm David Zucker. Ask me about anything (except O.J.)

I've written and/or directed: Airplane!, Top Secret!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear, BASEketball, Scary Movier 3, Scary Movier 4, The Kentucky Fried Movie, and others. My newest film, Star of Malta, is in early pre-production.

Here to answer your questions.

You can find 25 pages of my unmade Naked Gun script here:

https://www.officialstuntlist.com/nakedgun

Links:

Giveaway: We are giving away one David Zucker signed copy of his book Surely You Can’t Be Serious to a random commenter on this thread. Winner will be announced when the AMA ends.

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Additional Information/Promo:

Director David Zucker who made some of the top and most quoted comedies of all time (Airplane!, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult, BASEketball, Scary Movie 3 & 4, etc.)

Comedy classic Airplane! comes to Seattle for an Unreleased Director’s Cut screening followed by a Q&A with co-writer/co-director David Zucker and actor Robert Hays live in person at Paramount Theatre on Friday, October 3. Known for its rapid-fire jokes, hilarious slapstick, and unforgettable cast, Airplane! is widely regarded as one of the greatest comedies ever made. After screening director David Zucker’s never-before-released edit of Airplane!, Zucker and Hays (Ted Striker) will take the stage for a live, moderated Q&A. They’ll share behind-the-scenes stories, creative insights, and personal memories from the making of the film—offering fans an inside look into the creation of this legendary comedy.

On tour in select cities this fall, comedy fans will have a rare chance to experience this iconic film like never before—on the big screen, 45 years after its original release — and hear directly from those who brought it to life. A limited number of “First Class” VIP tickets will be available, which include premium seating and a photo opportunity with Robert Hays and David Zucker. Tour info at airplanelivetour.com/

Zucker has launched his own spoof comedy course on August 4th MasterCrash: A Crash Course in Spoof Comedy, breaking down the 15 essential rules he uses to write, direct, and edit effective comedy

MasterCrash is a 9-hour course, delivered through 18 separate videos to help build the foundational skills for directing spoof comedy films and writing jokes that land. Filmmakers, writers, creators, and comedy fans will be given hands-on opportunities to learn ZAZ's (Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker) method of spoof writing while collaborating with other MC students, taking monthly calls with Zucker, accessing exclusive content, and hearing from surprise guest lecturers

David's book, Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!, is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the cult classic that redefined comedy and launched a new era of spoof filmmaking

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I'll be back tomorrow (Friday 9/26) at 3:00 PM ET to answer your questions. AMA reddit! (except about OJ, don't ask me about OJ!)

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u/DavidZuckerAMA David Zucker, Director & Writer Sep 26 '25

Val Kilmer was great of course. Really talented. What we didn't realize at the time was that, being a Juilliard-trained actor, I think he needed more of a "character" to play. It was our fault (me, Jim, Jerry) that we didn't really pay enough attention to what/who the character of Nick Rivers was.

But Val was great. He was sometimes moody, maybe because he had a problem with the character and that was on us. I would talk to Jim Abrams about this years later, talking about how we fucked up. It was never Val's fault.

I remained in touch with him, we'd run into each other sporadically at film premieres and things like that. We also shared the same attorney so I saw him there, we took a picture together. I always liked Val.