#Star Of Malta Is A Noir Spoof Coming From The Creator Of The Naked Gun

“Star of Malta” will follow boxer Joe Medina, a man who has been imprisoned for killing his opponent in a bout. Upon his release, Joe hitchhikes towards the bright lights of Hollywood in pursuit of his love, Harriet Evans. Joe accidentally finds himself attaining a very valuable, cursed gemstone called the Star of Malta on his travels, leaving a trail of accidental bodies in his wake. The film will be produced by Corey DeSalvo, with Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser as executive producers. 

It’s a welcome return for both Zucker and Proft, whose last collaboration was as co-writers for “Scary Movie V.” In a 2013 interview with MTV, Zucker explained what he really needed to find in a project to choose to direct again:

“You know, I have to do all the work as a director. I mean, it’s so much work. It’s a year of your life. I have to find something about it that I’m passionate about, and I found that on ‘Naked Gun’ 1 and 2 and ‘Scary’ 3 and 4. And ‘Airplane!,’ the first ‘Airplane!'”

Personally, I’m glad this is the project that’s brought him back to directing. So many classic noir elements — betrayal, brooding protagonists with even moodier cinematography, truly dark and twisty antagonists — are perfect targets for a comedic take. And who better than the man who aced the comedic subgenre since the ’80s?