Here’s the bad news. Spaceballs: The New One is not coming to us at Ludicrous speed. The sequel won’t be in theaters until April 23, 2027, but the cast and crew still decided that this week, at San Diego Comic-Con, was the time to get the hype train rolling. And hyped we are.
After a hilarious video introduction from Mel Brooks himself, the panel began with an introduction of the cast, minus one major person: Rick Moranis. Everyone was curious where he was so they decided to comb the audience. Spaceballs actors with large combs then walked through the Hall H aisles, finding people in Dark Helmet masks. And, eventually, one was Rick Moranis. Moranis took the stage to thunderous applause and even a chant: “Rick, RIck, Rick.” This is his first Comic-Con. Moderator Kevin Smith asked producer and star Josh Gad about how this all happened. And, apparently, Gad cold-called Brooks and his team, launching into a 40-minute pitch that Brooks barely understood. But he loved it. Basically, Gad’s idea was that because science fiction and filmmaking in general have changed so much in the past 40 years, Spaceballs was the perfect vehicle to catch everyone up. Moranis said that he’s been asked about a sequel for years and that the script and idea came at the perfect time for him. He called the decision to do it one of the best he’s ever made. We then saw footage filmed by director Josh Greenbaum of Brooks reuniting first with Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga as well as Rick Moranis. Both were very emotional as they all kept in touch, but hadn’t seen each other in decades.
