The Schwartz is strong with this one...
Earlier this week, Spaceballs director Mel Brooks announced that the sequel to the beloved Star Wars spoof we first heard about last year had set an official 2027 release date with a hilarious first teaser. We also got word that Brooks would be back as Yogurt, alongside Rick Moranis - who will be coming out of retirement for the movie - as Lord Dark Helmet and Bill Pullman as Lone Starr.
Keke Palmer (Nope) has also joined the production in a lead role.
Now, we have more major casting news, as THR reports that Thunderbolts* star Lewis Pullman is set to join his father in the sequel as the son of Lone Starr and Princess Vespa, Starburst. Daphne Zuniga has also been confirmed to return as the Princess.
The trade reveals that Palmer will play a character named Destiny, and will lead the movie alongside Pullman Jr. and Josh Gad, who may or may not be playing the son of Barf (the late John Candy).
Plot details are under wraps, but Amazon did share a jokey synopsis: “While the title, plot details, and rest of cast are being kept under wraps, the film has been described by those who have not yet read the script as ‘A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two’ but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film.”
Gad (Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Wolf Like Me) will also produce alongside Brooks. Josh Greenbaum will direct the film from a screenplay by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Gad.
The original movie was a full-on farce, following the general plot of Star Wars: A New Hope while also making fun of other space-set or sci-fi properties such as Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes and Alien.
Moranis revealed that he pitched a sequel to Brooks back in 2013 with the proposed title Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II. Nothing ever came of it, but in 2015, Brooks said that he would be interested in releasing a new movie after the next Star Wars film and hoped that Moranis would reprise his role. The legendary filmmaker said he'd like this version of the movie to be called Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.
Spaceballs received mixed reviews upon release (it sits at 52% on Rotten Tomatoes), but it has developed a loyal following over the years
Gad shared the following to Instagram shortly after the sequel was announced.
"My phone has never exploded as hard as it did today. We are very excited! Early days still, but working with the legendary Mel freaking Brooks to make something worthy of this franchise and his legacy has been a dream come true. @benjisamit @cubanmissiledh @josh.greenbaum @kevinsalter1 and I worship at the alter of all things Brooks and we are doing everything in our power alongside Mel to make sure you get what you’ve waited 37 long years for. EVERYTHING."
"In a distant galaxy, planet Spaceball has depleted its air supply, leaving its citizens reliant on a product called "Perri-Air." In desperation, Spaceball's leader President Skroob (Mel Brooks) orders the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) to kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) of oxygen-rich Druidia and hold her hostage in exchange for air. But help arrives for the Princess in the form of renegade space pilot Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog partner, Barf (John Candy)."
Are you looking forward to a new Spaceballs movie?