Mel Brooks Announces ‘Spaceballs’ Sequel Is Finally Happening in Humorous Video — And He’ll Reprise His Famous Role
Hollywood comedy legend Mel Brooks delighted fans on Thursday when he announced that his beloved 1987 film Spaceballs was getting a sequel at long last. And since it was a Mel Brooks project, the announcement came in a humorous video.
The original Spaceballs featured Brooks in two supporting roles: the bumbling President Skroob (Brooks’ last name with the letters scrambled) and Yogurt, a parody of Yoda from the Star Wars films. Other members of the all-star cast included Bill Pullman, John Candy, Daphne Zuniga, Rick Moranis, and Joan Rivers. Besides Star Wars, the film also parodied other popular franchises like Star Trek, Alien, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers.
Spaceballs wasn’t originally a box office hit and received mixed reviews — Roger Ebert gave it 2.5 out of 4 stars, praising the “great visual gags” and panning how some of the puns were “painfully juvenile” — but it grew into a cult classic over the years, and is now mentioned among Brooks’ best works. The sequel is scheduled to be released in theaters in 2027 by Amazon MGM Studios.
Brooks, who turns 99 on June 28, co-wrote, directed, and produced the original film, in addition to acting in the two roles. According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, Brooks will reprise his role as Yogurt in the sequel but is sharing more of the duties this time around.
Josh Greenbaum will direct and the script was written by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Josh Gad. Producers include Imagine’s Brian Grazer and Jeb Brody, Gad, Brooks, and Greenbaum. Executive producers include Kevin Slater, Adam Merims, Samit, and Hernandez.
THR reported that Gad was “also rumored to star” in the sequel film but “Amazon isn’t commenting on further casting [other than Brooks] at this time.”
“I told you we’d be back,” wrote Brooks in a tweet sharing the video, which was also posted on Amazon MGM Studios’ YouTube channel.
The video begins with the scrolling text famously used in the Star Wars films, and lists off the plethora of films, sequels, prequels, trilogies, sequels to prequels, prequels to sequels, and spin-offs of not just George Lucas’ space opera but other popular film franchises Hollywood has rolled out since the original Spaceballs.
“But in thirty-eight years there has only ever been one… SPACEBALLS,” the text continues. “Until now…”
Brooks, wearing a “SPACEBALLS: THE SWEATSHIRT” sweatshirt — a callback to the ongoing merchandising gags from the first film — appears on screen to make the announcement.
“After 40 years,” he says, “we asked, ‘What do the fans want?’ But instead, we’re making this movie!”
Text reading “THE SCHWARTZ™ AWAKENS IN 2027” is shown, superimposed on a Darth Vader-style helmet.
“May the Schwartz be with you!” says a grinning Brooks.
Watch the video above via YouTube.
