You are listening to The Next Best Picture podcast and these are my interviews with the director and co-writer for The Naked Gun, Akiva Schaefer, and the film's producer, Erica Huggins.

Multiple SWAT units responding to hostage situations.

Hey, little girl, stop.

What do you want, little one?

Your ass.

Hey, how are you?

I'm good. How are you?

I am doing well.

My ribs are still recovering from all the laughs that I had last night watching this movie.

That's what we were hoping for.

I can't believe that a film like this with this style of comedy can still get made today and still be this damn good.

I feel like there was a time where this, like, style kind of went out of style.

And I feel like between this pop star and Chippendale, like, Akiva's, like, really bringing

it back into his work in a way where it's like, Jesus, like, he might be the next Mel Brooks

or something.

I don't know.

I think so. I, we really believe that Akiva hit something in the style and the approach that he had for this movie in a way that we just haven't seen in a long time.

Yeah. I completely agree with you on that. And this has been long in development for quite some time.

Take me through your journey in terms of your level of involvement when this all started for you.

Because, I mean, I know that this thing goes back way, way, way, many, many years ago.

And a lot of people have been involved. So walk me through because I think a lot of

people, you know, when it comes to getting even big budgeted Hollywood studio films greenlit,

...