Overview
- In a new interview with The Independent, Zucker said Paramount and producer Seth MacFarlane "ruined" the franchise with last year's reboot.
- He called replacing Leslie Nielsen with Liam Neeson "moronic" while acknowledging he has not watched the 2025 film.
- Zucker said his pitch for a fourth film envisioned a Bond–Bourne–Mission: Impossible-style setting with a younger comic lead, such as Andy Samberg.
- He has repurposed that screenplay as "Counter Intelijence" and is developing a film-noir spoof titled The Star of Malta while teaching an online course called MasterCrash.
- Zucker praised Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, and director Akiva Schaffer, saying the problem lies with the concept and what he describes as studio risk-aversion.