Thirty-nine years after traveling to a galaxy far, far, far, far away, Rick Moranis and Daphne Zuniga are returning to the silver screen Rick Moranis and Daphne Zuniga are returning to the silver screen to reprise their iconic roles as Dark Helmet and Princess Vespa, respectively, in Spaceballs: The New One, a long-awaited sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1987 Star Wars parody film, Spaceballs. During this past Comic-Con weekend, Moranis surprised the Hall H crowd by joining his fellow filmmakers and cast members of the new film. The audience was electric once they realized Moranis was sitting among them, disguised as a casually dressed Dark Helmet.
Moranis addressed the crowd, and tears were shed, as he realized that scores of people were cheering him on, never forgetting his contributions to the world of comedy. That evening, Moranis and Zuniga opened up about their exciting return to the Spaceballs franchise, with Moranis saying he feels like he’s living in a time warp while looking around the set.
Moranis on feeling good about his Spaceballs return
While talking about his return to the Spaceballs universe, Moranis said that agreeing to star in the film was “the only way he could get Josh Gad to stop texting” him. Moranis then said he started talking to Mel [Brooks] about a sequel in 1989 and that they kept discussing it. “I wasn’t retired, I was just negotiating,” Moranis said, getting big laughs from the crowd. “This came along at the right time, and I started talking to these folks, and hearing who’s going to be in it. It just felt like this is it. It’s time. I said yes, and it’s the best decision I ever made.”
Daphne Zuniga on her extended Spaceballs casting process
After Moranis’ heartfelt comments, Daphne Zuniga began telling the story of her being cast in the original film, saying she’s not at all surprised it’s taken so long to get a sequel off the ground, all things considered. When she was 24, there was confusion about whether she had landed the role of Princess Vespa in Spaceballs. According to her reps, it wasn’t a done deal, yet Mel Brooks spoke about the part as if she’d already had it. He even invited her to the set, showing her the princess’s Mercedes and gorgeous costumes. Zuniga was convinced this was Mel’s way of telling her she’d gotten the part, but her agents insisted the jury was still out.
“It took them over a month to give me the freaking part for Princess Vespa! So, I’m not surprised it’s taken 39 years, and I’m very happy to be here,” Zuniga said, excitedly.
In addition to Moranis and Zuniga, Spaceballs: The New One stars Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, Keke Palmer as Destiny, Lewis Pullman as Starburst, and features Mel Brooks, Anthony Carrigan, Josh Gad, George Wyner, Michael Winslow, and Liz Kingsman rounding out the main cast.
Spaceballs: The New One comes to theaters on April 23, 2027, and we could not be more curious to see how this fabled sequel finally comes together.
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