Some time ago, in theaters not too far from you, Spaceballs sent up the Star Wars legacy as only comedy legend Mel Brooks could. And as the man behind History of the World Part I was known to do from time to time, he joked about how one of the best ‘80s movies would have a pre-planned, but unrealized sequel. 37 years later, and with rumors of a Josh Gad-involved sequel floating around, it sounds like The Schwartz is going to hit the fans. Spaceballs 2 is in development, and I’m willing to bet fans have the same question as me in mind.
What’s New With Spaceballs 2?
Let’s start with what we do know. Which, I’m sorry to say, doesn’t specify if this new film is going to be Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money or Rick Moranis’ inventive sequel pitch, Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II. However, the good news reported by Variety is that Josh Gad is starring in this untitled mystery plot, and he pretty much confirmed it in this social media post:
What’s more, the writing team of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’s Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez will be collaborating with the Frozen star on the script. Topping this cinematic sundae are the further details that Mel Brooks will be producing, and Barb and Star go to Vista del Mar director Josh Greenbaum will be helming the Amazon MGM Studios production.
Now that we’ve gotten the short, short version of what we know out of the way, it’s time to discuss the huge Spaceballs 2 question we’re all pondering right now. And no, it’s not, ‘Where can I stream Spaceballs?’, as that answer is clearly through the Instant Video library that’s included with a Max subscription.
The Spaceballs 2 Question We’re All Thinking About
The big question at the heart of this Spaceballs 2 endeavor is, of course, will the surviving cast return for this new sequel? While we’ve lost fellow legends John Candy, Joan Rivers and Dom DeLuise, we’ve still got quite a few of the major figures from the original ready to jump back in.
At the very least, it would be amazing to see Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga return, as catching up with Lone Star and Princess Vespa in the present day feels like step one for the new sequel. Although while we’re discussing Spaceballs 2’s potential casting coups, it’s time to wonder if this could be the movie that could be Rick Moranis’s return to the big screen?
Save for appearances on Disney+’s Prop Culture and Ryan Reynolds’ hysterical Mint Mobile ad, Moranis has mostly been pulling voice roles whenever he feels up to the job. Which, honestly, is totally deserved; as the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids legend not only scaled back his career to take care of his family, but he’s also happy at his current pace.
Previous rumblings of Rick Moranis and Josh Gad collaborating on the now in-limbo Honey I Shrunk The Kids legacy-quel certainly feel like the fuel to this speculative fire. In fact, that previous association could be a fun way into this new story, with The Book of Mormon co-star playing the Kylo Ren analog to Moranis’ Dark Helmet. Don’t worry about him not looking too much like Bill Pullman or Daphne Zuniga, though, because as we remember from Spaceballs’ climactic Schwartz fight, the relationship between Prince Lone Star and Dark Helmet is… absolutely nothing.
As we have no clue when then will be now when it comes to Spaceballs 2’s potential production and release schedule, we’re one step closer to seeing it become a reality. For now, you’ll just have to settle for perusing the 2024 movie schedule in the search for more entertainment.
If you can read this, the magnification on your browser is perfect.