Mel Brooks, the comedic genius behind the beloved “Star Wars” parody “Spaceballs,” hasn’t revisited the franchise since its 1987 release. Recently, however, producer and star Josh Gad found himself in a unique position: briefing Brooks on the intricacies of the “Star Wars” universe’s evolution over the past three decades.
During an appearance on the “Let’s Talk Off Camera” podcast, Gad recounted the experience of pitching a “Spaceballs” sequel to Brooks. “Mel is incredibly involved,” Gad stated, launching into a humorous anecdote. “When we were pitching him the original concept, he said, ‘I’m just telling you now, I want you to really go into detail because I don’t know a lot about the new ‘Star Wars’ films.’ And I said, ‘Okay.'”
Gad then described the intense 40-minute pitch, likening it to “going to war in front of one person.” He poured his heart into detailing every comedic beat, set piece, and reveal, meticulously explaining how each element connected to specific “Star Wars” moments. His efforts paid off. Brooks’ response, according to Gad, was, “‘it really sounds like you’ve got your finger on the pulse.'” This, Gad emphasized, was “the greatest compliment I could have ever gotten, even though there’s no context for it for Mel. He really just trusted everything I had to say.”
For those unfamiliar, “Spaceballs,” adapted from the spirit of George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy, follows President Skroob (Brooks) as he orders Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) to kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) to acquire Druidia’s precious oxygen supply.
Now, Gad is set to star in and produce a “Spaceballs” sequel for Amazon MGM Studios, with Josh Greenbaum directing and a script by Gad, Benji Samit, and Dan Hernandez. Brooks will serve as a producer alongside Gad.