‘Naked Gun’ Co-Creator David Zucker to Spoof Film Noir Movies ‘Star of Malta’
RainMaker Films will produce and finance the comedy that reunites Zucker with frequent collaborator, Police Academy creator Pat Proft.
![David Zucker](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/David-Zucker-headshot_169_template-H-2021.jpg?w=681&h=383&crop=1)
Vet comedy filmmaker David Zucker has spoofed disaster movies with comedy classic Airplane! and horror movies with the Scary Movie franchise.
Now he has found a new target: film noir and caper movies.
Zucker and his frequent collaborators Pat Profit and Michael McManus have reunited for The Star of Malta, a period comedy that RainMaker Films will produce and finance.
He co-wrote the script with Proft, the creator of the Police Academy movies who worked with Zucker on the Naked Gun and Scary Movie pictures, and McManus, who worked on Hot Shots Part Deux and Mafia!.
Set in late 1940s 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 DeSalvo. Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser will executive produce.
RainMaker, which helped make the Oscar-winning drama Dallas Buyer Club, produced the sci-fi thriller Stowaway that starred Anna Kendrick and Daniel Dae Kim and hit Netflix earlier this year. It also produced the horror thriller Separation, which starred Rupert Friend.
Zucker is one of the pioneers of the spoof comedy genre due to his output as both director and co-writer of the 1980s movies. Airplane!, Top Secret!, The Naked Gun and its sequels.
He partnered with Proft as co-writer for the Gun movies and again when they took over the Scary Movie franchise in the 2000s. Their films have a combined gross of over a billion dollars at the global box office.
Malta will be the first outing for Zucker as well as Proft since writing Scary Movie V. in 2013.