Mel Brooks is taking this Spaceballs sequel very seriously. Yogurt, one of his characters in the first movie, was a spoof of Yoda, the Star Wars Jedi Master who lived to be nearly 1,000 years old. As we now know, Brooks has been putting a lot of effort into character development and will formally return as Yogurt at the age of 99 for the eagerly anticipated follow-up, which is scheduled to be released 40 years after the first one. This hilarious teaser makes everything official.
I told you we’d be back
— Mel Brooks (@officialmelbrooks.bsky.social) June 12, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Brooks, who wrote, directed, and starred in the 1987 comedic classic, will reprise his role as Yogurt in the 2027 theatrical release, Amazon revealed Thursday. However, Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar) will be directing from a story written by Josh Gad, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit, so he will only be acting this time. Although it hasn’t been confirmed yet, Gad is also anticipated to star. Maybe playing the son of the late John Candy’s Barf?
Inspired by the Star Wars franchise and other masterpieces, Spaceballs is a great parody of the sci-fi genre that was released by MGM in 1987. The plot is about the villain Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and President Skroob (Brooks), who try to take the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia, but are stopped by the Druish princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), hero Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), and his sidekick Barf (John Candy). Dick Van Patten and Joan Rivers were among the other cast members. Despite earning little over $38.1 million worldwide, the movie has remained a cult classic.
For decades, fans have been anticipating a Spaceballs sequel. A sequel, titled Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money, was hinted at in the original movie but never materialized. However, Star Wars was believed to be over at the moment. That changed ten years later. First came the Star Wars Special Editions in 1997, followed by the prequels from 1999 to 2005. In 2015 Disney acquired the franchise and began producing television series and films. Now that the Force is powerful again, it’s time for Spaceballs to make a comeback.
What will it be about, though? “A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film,” according to Amazon. Not very helpful. However, the teaser also mentions “The Schwartz Awakens,” so you have to assume that Gad and the team would adopt a style influenced by the second trilogy, incorporating iconic characters like Rick Moranis’s Dark Helmet and Bill Pullman’s Lone Star only if the actors are open to coming back. Instead, you would think that the main focus would be on new characters who discover the Schwartz’s power. Of course, we now know that Yogurt will also make a comeback.
According to insiders who spoke to Deadline, Keke Palmer (Nope) will be joining the cast of Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming Spaceballs film. Bill Pullman, 71, and Rick Moranis, 71, reprise their respective roles as Lone Starr and Dark Helmet.
Yes, the reclusive comedy star, who hasn’t appeared in a live-action feature since 1997’s Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, will once again play the ineptly malevolent Dark Helmet. Gad got Moranis onboard for his Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel, Shrunk, but that project fell into development hell.
Moranis took a break from his career in the film industry in 1997. He later explained, “I’m a single parent and I just found that it was too difficult to manage to raise my kids and to do the traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis explained that he had not retired from film acting, but rather had become pickier about his next roles after turning down a cameo appearance in 2016’s Ghostbusters.
In a May 9, 2018, episode of The Goldbergs, Moranis made a voiceover appearance as Spaceballs’ Pannakin Crybaby/Lord Dark Helmet.
The main reason we’re excited about this movie is the great Moranis himself!
What do we think of Spaceballs 2? Do you think we’ll get the sequel we’ve always wanted? And does Brooks’ inclusion somehow give it a more authentic feel? Tell us below.
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