In Mel Brooks' classic spoof Spaceballs, his character Yogurt jokes that hopefully all the characters will reunite again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. It was a joke at the expense of the endless sequalizing of film that was already a thing in the late 1980s, and yet conversations around an actual sequel to Spaceballs were always there. And now, four decades later, whatever's happening now is happening now.
The reason we know for certain that Spaceballs 2 isn’t just some weird dream is that the principal photography on the film has officially wrapped. Josh Gad posted to Instagram with the news that filming is done. It feels like production had only just started, and Gad himself says that the entire experience has gone by faster than Ridiculous Speed. He said:
I cannot believe we are here. It really was Ludicrous speed, but that is an official picture wrap on #Spaceballs2 . 3 years ago I called Mel Brooks with an idea for a film forty years in the making. I could not believe he said yes. But more importantly, I cannot believe that we actually got to make it. This movie has been the greatest creative experience of my entire life. I cannot wait to share it with you all.
From the point that Josh Gad shared a script title page with the actual title blacked out, fans have been looking forward to the new film, and the excitement has only grown the more we’ve learned. The film will see many of the core cast, including Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, and Mel Brooks himself, all return, while also giving us new characters in the form of Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman, who will play the son of his real-life dad.
Gad takes a moment in his post to thank many in the crew as well as the cast for making Spaceballs 2 a great experience, especially the most surprising member of the cast, the long-retired Rick Moranis. Gad wrote:
I would to thank this unreal cast who absolutely destroy in this film: @keke , Lewis Pullman, @carriganagain , @daphnezuniga , Bill Pullman, George Wyner, Mr. Mel Brooks, and the legend himself… the long missed RICK MORANIS!!!
Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet in the first Spaceballs became one of the actors signature roles. However, the actor, who has been largely retired for the entirety of the 21st century, has avoided returning to other film franchises that made him a star. This made the fact that he did choose to return to Spaceballs, a surprise, but a welcome one. Check out Josh Gad’s full post below.
What I wouldn’t give for an instant cassette right about now, so I didn’t have to wait for the movie to go through post-production. Spaceballs 2 has no official release date yet, but is expected to open in 2027. I guess now it's time for Spaceballs: The Wrap Party.
