Posted in: Movies | Tagged: David Zucker, Pat Proft, rainmaker, Scary Movie, The Naked Gun

The Star of Malta: Naked Gun's David Zucker to Spoof Noir Films

Published Sat, 13 Nov 2021 07:17:10 -0600

Comedy filmmaking icon David Zucker has found his latest genre to spoof in classic film noir and caper movies in The Star of Malta. His initial claim to fame was Airplane! that took on disaster films. One of the films' stars in Leslie Nielsen would later go on to front arguably his most successful franchise in Police Squad! that originally started as a TV series before it became The Naked Gun films for Paramount. Coincidentally, the storytelling format follows Nielsen's character in Lt. Frank Dreben acts as a narrator in a noir format.

David Zucker attends 2019 InfoList's Pre-Oscars Soiree at Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel, West Hollywood, CA on February 20th, 2019 (Eugene Powers / Shutterstock.com)

The Star of Malta Production Details

Working with Zucker on The Star of Malta are frequent collaborators Police Academy creator Pat Proft and Michael McManus. The film is a period comedy courtesy of RainMaker Films, which will produce and finance according to Hollywood Reporter. Zucker will direct and co-wrote the script with Proft. Both worked on several Naked Gun and Scary Movie films together. McManus previously collaborated with Zucker on Hot Shots Part Deux and Mafia! The Naked Gun and Scary Movie franchises combined for over $1 billion at the box office globally.

Set in late 1940's America, Malta follows prizefighter Joe Medina, newly released from prison for killing his opponent in the ring, as he pursues his love, Harriet Evans, to Hollywood. Hitchhiking west, he accidentally gains possession of a highly sought-after but cursed gemstone, known as The Star of Malta, and proceeds on an accidental murder spree, leaving a trail of people he never intended to kill.

Producing for RainMaker Films is Corey DeSalo. Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser will executive produce. Zucker hasn't been involved into much as of late. His last active project was 2013's Scary Movie V and, previously, An American Carol in 2008. There were off-and-on talks about a possible Naked Gun reboot with at one point Ed Helms attached to star in it.

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