Airplane! Creators Unite for Behind-The-Scenes Audiobook: 'Surely You Can't Be Serious'

David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker, renowned writer-directors of the influential 1980 comedy Airplane!, are joining forces again. This time, they gather a star-studded cast of celebrities and key industry figures to illuminate the making of the legendary film in an exclusive audiobook. The project is titled Surely You Can’t Be Serious, a throwback to a memorable joke from the original film.

The trio of filmmakers will not be the only voices bringing the behind-the-scenes story to life. Contributors include famous faces such as Jimmy Kimmel, Bill Hader, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Molly Shannon, Sarah Silverman, Patton Oswalt, and Beau Bridges. Also featured are industry giants John Landis, Barry Diller, and Michael Eisner, along with original Airplane! cast members Bob Hays and Julie Hagerty.

Airplane! hit theaters on July 2, 1980, and soared far beyond expectations. Made on a modest budget of $3.5 million, the film raked in over $80 million at the box office. The film’s humor revolves around a neurotic ex-fighter pilot forced to land a commercial airplane after the crew falls victim to food poisoning, offering a groundbreaking blend of comedy that still resonates more than four decades later.

The upcoming audiobook also delves into the trajectory of the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker (ZAZ) trio, following their journey from the inception of their comedy troupe, the Kentucky Fried Theater in Madison, Wisconsin, to the premiere of Airplane!. Listeners will gain understanding into what spurred these creative minds to pursue the art of moviemaking, and notably, comedy.

An impressive list of additional contributors to the audiobook project ensures a multifaceted perspective on the creation of Airplane!. These voices include Dick Chudnow, Tom Parry, Arne Schmidt, Ken Collins, Bob Weiss, Jon Davison, Ross Harris, Peter Farrelly, Laura Orrico, Joe Praino, Lorna Patterson, Lloyd Schwartz, Joyce Bulifant, Lee Bryant, Rich Markey, Molly Shannon, Hunt Lowry, Marcy Goldman, Patton Oswalt, James Murray, and Pat Proft.

The premiere of Surely You Can’t Be Serious is slated for October 3, 2023.

Now, for the “flight commentary”: this is the entertainment equivalent of the black box every aviation analyst would kill to get their hands on after a particularly spectacular flight. Only here, instead of a disaster, we're chewing over the bones of a comic explosion that spread its comedic influence far and wide.

All aboard! We're about to experience some turbulence... of laughter and nostalgia, that is. The cavalcade of contributors reads like the invite list to the coolest Hollywood party you never got the chance to crash. And the ZAZ trio? Any comedy worth its pun salt has borrowed from their slapstick, surreal, parody-laced playbook.

Diving into Surely You Can't Be Serious is like being offered an all-access pass to a part of movie history. It's perfect for the pop-culture historian, the comedy connoisseur, and most importantly, the Airplane! devotee nursing a lifelong love from that first absurdly hilarious viewing.

Ready your headphones, folks. The descent into comedy golden era is going to be a memorable journey. Just to echo the sentiments of Airplane! protagonist, Ted Striker: "I guess the foot's on the other hand now." We’re no longer the viewers; we're the ones being regaled by the hum of the creative engines that drove this masterpiece's flight through film history.