Josh Gad has confirmed that he’s working with Mel Brooks on a sequel to the comedy great’s 1987 sci-fi spoof Spaceballs, calling the project “a dream come true”.
The original film, which starred Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis, was primarily a send-up of the Star Wars franchise but also incorporated references to other sci-fi classics like Star Trek, Alien, and Planet of the Apes.
After news broke of Gad’s involvement, the Frozen star took to Instagram to confirm the project. “My phone has never exploded as hard as it did today,” he wrote. “We are very excited!”
The sequel is being developed by Amazon MGM, and no release date has yet been set. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar director Josh Greenbaum is set to helm the film, from a screenplay by Gad, Benji Samit, and Dan Hernandez. Kevin Salter will executive produce
Gad added: “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.
“[Benji Samit], [Dan Hernandez], [Josh Greenbaum], [Kevin Salter] and I worship at the altar 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.”
Brooks, the comedy giant best known for classic films including Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and The Producers, is not averse to revisiting his old material. Last year he produced and starred in the Hulu series History of the World, Part II, a follow-up to his 1981 film History of the World, Part I.
“Up until Blazing Saddles, I was hanging onto show business with the skin of my teeth, not making any money,” he said.
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“The first movie I made was The Producers. Good movie, I won the Academy Award for the screenplay, but it just about broke even.”
Brooks’ next film came in 1970 and was an adaptation of the Russian novel The Twelve Chairs. Despite Brooks believing it was “one of my best movies”, he said that “alas, it didn’t make a penny”.
As a result, Brooks said that he was considering returning to television where he was “making money”.
“And then, Blazing Saddles, that was an explosion. Busted open the doors and windows and gave me enough money to buy a house and finally pay for dinner… I was OK. Blazing Saddles did it.”
