It may have taken forty years, but we’re finally getting a Spaceballs sequel. Much of the original cast has returned, including Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, Mel Brooks as Yogurt, George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz, and Rick Moranis as Lord Dark Helmet. I’ve been anxiously awaiting a glimpse at Spaceballs: The New One, and new footage was screened at the film’s Comic-Con panel, but it doesn’t appear as though it will be released online… yet.
Described as “A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film,” the Spaceballs sequel was directed by Josh Greenbaum (Will & Harper) and written by Josh Gad, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit. In addition to the legacy stars, new additions to the cast include Lewis Pullman (who will be playing the son of Lone Starr and Princess Vespa), Keke Palmer, Josh Gad, and Anthony Carrigan.
The audience went absolutely crazy for Rick Moranis, as they should, who made his Comic-Con debut. He said he’d actually spoken with Mel Brooks about a sequel shortly after the release of the original movie, but it didn’t happen. He even commented on his long hiatus from movies, joking, “I wasn’t really retired. I was just negotiating.“
Great to see him getting so much love.
But before Moranis came out, Kevin Smith, who was moderating the panel, declared that they must comb the audience for the beloved actor. After several fake Dark Helmets were uncovered, the real one was found.
Moranis and Zuniga spoke about what drew them back to the franchise after all these years.
Gad also revealed that he is playing a mawg but not Barf, the character played by the late John Candy in the original. They also jokingly announced the Spaceballs Cinematic Universe, with movies planned until 2044. The name is “The Almighty Schwartz Saga – or A$$whole.
Footage from the sequel was screened, which was similar to what was revealed at CinemaCon earlier this year. Nods to Avatar and many other blockbuster franchises, but we did see Yogurt and Lord Dark Helmet fight, with the baddie paying homage to the iconic Rise of Skywalker line by saying, “yes, somehow I have returned… Somehow.“
Rick Moranis has been largely retired for close to thirty years, but he’s set to return for Spaceballs 2, and Gad wanted to make sure the project was worthy of him.
“Well, I am not going to comment on whether or not Rick Moranis is returning, but hypothetically, if he were to return, I would say it’s because Rick would have felt like this was a project worthy of his return,” Gad said. “So watch this space. But what I can say is it is surreal. It’s surreal because I grew up with Spaceballs and when the movie was prophesized in the first film, when Yogurt says, ‘God willing, we’ll all meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money,’ I, like everyone else, was just anticipating that that would happen sooner than 40 years later.“
Gad continued, “But I am so grateful it took that long because it’s the greatest gift on Earth to be able to not only be on the precipice of shooting this movie, but to be able to do it while Mel is still with us. So I’m thrilled. I’m beyond excited, and that’s about all I can say for now.“
Spaceballs: The New One will be released on April 23, 2027.