Josh Gad and Mel Brooks are coming together to make Spaceballs 2 a thing: and it sounds like the project is quite far advanced.
In the back catalogue of Mel Brooks comedies, Spaceballs isn’t amongst the top tier stuff I’d argue, but his spoof of Star Wars returns a hefty laugh count. Particularly if you’re a fan of George Lucas’ original trilogy, there’s much to be gleamed from the likes of Rick Moranis and the late John Candy having clear fun with the project.
Out of the blue, we now learn that the 1987 original appears to be getting a sequel. Josh Gad is reportedly attached to produce and star in the new film, that Mel Brooks is involved with, and is producing.
Further personnel are already in place as well. Josh Greenbaum is set to direct the film, his latest feature following recent projects such as the fun, patchy Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar, and the less successful Strays.
He’s going to be working from a script written by Josh Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez (the latter being the writing duo who worked on the Detective Pikachu movie). Sounds like the screenplay is pretty much done as well, and that the film might just be ready to go.
Spaceballs was an MGM film, and MGM these days is owned by Amazon. Amazon MGM Studios is thus set to back the film, even though it’s not officially confirmed that Spaceballs 2 is a thing. But it looks pretty clear that Spaceballs 2 is a thing.
There’s presumably still some casting work to do here, but it also looks like there’s a sporting chance the movie might get to go before cameras this very year. Speculation on our part, certainly, but it’s rare to learn of the existence of a sequel like this that already has its lead, its script, its director and its financing.
More, as always, as we hear it.
(One last thing: Amiga nerds, I kept writing this as Speedball 2. Extra ice cream for me there…)
