The Naked Gun Is Just The Start Of The Spoof Comedy Genre’s Revival

2025’s The Naked Gun is the first film in a revival of the spoof comedy genre, and a few more movies are already on the way. It has been a long time since a hilarious spoof comedy hit movie theaters. The genre was popularized during the 1970s and ’80s, thanks to filmmakers like Mel Brooks and David Zucker, who made comedy classics like Young Frankenstein and Airplane!.

One of the best films from this period is 1988’s The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, starring Leslie Nielsen. The noir-thriller spoof had great writing and remarkable deadpan delivery from Nielsen that helped every joke land. Fortunately, the 2025 reboot/sequel features much of what made the original film work.

Liam Neeson does an incredible job filling Nielsen’s shoes, delivering each line with the same oblivious, yet deadly serious tone. The Naked Gun currently holds a 90% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and earned an A- Cinemascore, showing critics and audiences are ready to welcome this genre back with open arms. Fortunately, the Akiva Schaffer-directed film is only the beginning of the spoof comedy’s return.

Hollywood Has More Spoof Movies Coming After The Naked Gun

It seems like forever that a spoof comedy was made by a prominent studio. There are still a few that have been made, but they are often indies or sent straight to streaming, such as Hundreds of Beavers and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. The Naked Gun was a refreshing return to the genre, and Hollywood has a few more on its slate, including one that releases soon.

On September 12, 2025, the heavy metal band Spinal Tap returns in Spinal Tap II: The End Continues. The mockumentary is a sequel to This Is Spinal Tap, and includes the returns of Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and director Rob Reiner. The original 1984 film is a cult classic that satirizes rock documentaries, and the sequel sees the band reunite for a final show.

Following Spinal Tap is Scary Movie 6, which is expected to release in 2026. The Wayans brothers are returning to their successful series 13 years after the last entry. The Scary Movie franchise is known for mocking influential horror films, such as Scream and Saw, and typically satirizes the genre’s growing trends. The film should have plenty of material to work with, including the “elevated horror” subgenre popularized in the 2010s.

While horror has evolved over the years, the same can be said for major franchises like Star Wars, which will receive a second spoof film when Spaceballs 2 releases in 2027. Directed by Josh Greenbaum, Spaceballs 2 will be co-written by Josh Gad and Mel Brooks, who is reprising his role as Yogurt.

Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, and Daphne Zuniga are also returning in their respective roles. The first teaser shows the comedic style is just as witty as before, and the writers have so much new Star Wars material they can parody since the 1987 original.

The Naked Gun Proves Spoof Movies Can Still Work

The spoof genre’s slow death was its own fault – films like Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, and Meet the Spartans are some of the worst-reviewed films ever and did irreparable damage to the genre. They didn’t feature clever writing or witty satires of genre tropes. Instead, they elected to stuff in as many pop culture references as possible.

The jokes were lazy and outdated, leading to a mostly unpleasant experience, even if there was an occasional chuckle. Even the Scary Movie franchise couldn’t remain consistent, as the later sequels failed to stay as funny as the first few. As the box office returns started to dwindle, studios moved away from producing more spoofs, convinced that audiences were no longer interested.

However, 2025’s The Naked Gun proves this isn’t the case and spoof movies can still work as long as they have the right creatives. The film has a talented cast, including Paul Walter Hauser and Pamela Anderson alongside Neeson, and is led by a funny team of writers, directors, and producers. When the jokes work, audiences are willing to go along for the ridiculous ride.

The Lonely Island’s Schaffer has proven he has a knack for creating hilarious spoofs, like 2016’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping. Many of the best jokes in Naked Gun are composed of visual gags and clever camerawork, showing Schaffer is one of Hollywood’s best comedy filmmakers and writers. Having Seth MacFarlane attached as a producer also certainly couldn’t have hurt.

The Naked Gun provides a blueprint of how to bring spoof comedies back. Hopefully, the upcoming parodies follow in this film’s footsteps with the same clever dialogue and satire. Many of the other upcoming films have the original creative teams returning or feature new comedic talent, suggesting there’s hope for the future of the genre.