Nearly 40 years after its release, Star Wars spoof Spaceballs is getting a sequel. A follow-up was the subject of a joke in the original when Mel Brooks’ script made a snarky wink at cash-grabbing franchises, but Josh Gad was completely serious when he pitched Mel Brooks his own idea decades later, and the parody master gave his seal of approval.
Spaceballs 2 will obviously disappoint fans of the original if it doesn’t involve as many members of the original cast as possible — but so far, casting remains a secret, and Rick Moranis’ return as Dark Helmet remains one of the biggest question marks. Gad spoke about it in a recent interview, and though he didn’t debunk rumors of the retired performer’s return, he did say that if Moranis comes back, it’ll be because the sequel’s “worthy” enough to bring him out of retirement.
During a conversation with Screen Rant, Gad addressed Moranis’ possible return as Dark Helmet. Given that he recently confirmed that shooting would start very soon, it seems odd that casting remains such a mystery. Either they’re hoping to keep everything a secret until the end — which seems impossible in the era of internet leaks — or Moranis hasn’t signed up, and everyone’s relying on false hope.
“Well, I am not going to comment on whether or not Rick Moranis is returning, but hypothetically, if he were to return, I would say it’s because Rick would have felt like this was a project worthy of his return.
“It’s surreal because I grew up with Spaceballs and when the movie was prophesized in the first film, when Yogurt says, ‘God willing, we’ll all meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money,’ I, like everyone else, was just anticipating that that would happen sooner than 40 years later… It’s the greatest gift on Earth to be able to not only be on the precipice of shooting this movie, but to be able to do it while Mel is still with us. So I’m thrilled. I’m beyond excited, and that’s about all I can say for now.”
Aside from Moranis, Spaceballs 2 could see the return of legacy actors Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga. Brooks is also rumored to appear as Yogurt and President Skroob, but that’s about it. Newcomers include Gad in an undisclosed role, as well as Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman, who will reportedly play characters named Destiny and Starburst.
‘Spaceballs 2’ Exists Because of One Unexpected Phone Call
Plot details are still a secret, although decades of hits and misses in the Star Wars universe should be enough to give Gad plenty of jokes. This shouldn’t be challenging for the actor and writer, who recently revealed to The Direct a personal anecdote about coming up with the pitch after watching the original with his daughter, who asked him about the sequel mentioned in the film. Gad was unable to stop thinking about it, and the next day, he decided to pick up the phone and reach out to Brooks about Spaceballs 2:
“I called Mel Brooks because I’m a jackass who just picks up the phone and calls Mel Brooks, and I pitched him…I called him and I recorded him without his permission, and he said, after I pitched him, he said, ‘Josh, I’ve been waiting 35 years for this phone call.'”
