Mel Brooks has done a lot during his 100 years on the planet. He’s acted, directed such movies as “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles,” co-created classic sitcom “Get Smart,” served in the military during WWII, written for iconic 1950s variety show “Your Show of Shows,” enjoyed a long and happy marriage with Oscar winner Anne Bancroft — and even written a Broadway hit, transforming his film “The Producers” into a Tony-winning musical.
One thing he’s never done was attend Comic-Con — until now.
A Comic-Con First
On July 24, the comedy legend made his first-ever appearance on the Comic-Con stage in San Diego — virtually, that is.
During the panel session for the highly anticipated sequel “Spaceballs: The New One,” Brooks made a surprise appearance onstage, via Zoom.
“I’ve done a lot of things in my career, but not Comic-Con,” quipped Brooks (as reported by People). Maybe that’s because they don’t pay.”
A Pitch to Mel Brooks
In addition to new footage from the long-awaited sequel (the first movie came out in 1987), the session also featured an in-person discussion with stars Josh Gad, Lewis Pullman, Daphne Zuniga and Keke Palmer. In addition, Rick Moranis made a rare public appearance to promote his reprisal of villainous Dark Helmet.
Gad has been a driving force in bringing the “Spaceballs” sequel to the screen, serving as star, co-writer and producer. During the panel, he recalled the first time he pitched his concept for “Spaceballs: The New One” to Brooks.
“I don’t know what gave me the balls to do this, but I called up Mel Brooks and his producing partner, Kevin Salter, who’s in the audience, and I did the most intense 40-minute pitch of this movie, and he’s just silently listening,” Gad said.
“This is in 2022,” he added. “At the end of it, he goes, ‘Josh, it sounds like you really got your finger on the pulse. I don’t know half of what you’re talking about, but I really like it.’ I was mentioning ‘The Force Awakens’ and Kylo Ren and he’s like, ‘What the hell is all that?’”
Fan Excitement Is Through the Roof
Anticipation for the upcoming sequel was evident when the studio issued the first poster, with the image appearing in a post shared via Instagram.
The poster features a giant comb carving through sand in the desert. Fans of the original “Spaceballs” will get the inside joke, which references a line in the original movie about “combing the desert.”
Reprising Yogurt
Brooks, who celebrated his 100th birthday last month, will be reprising the role of Yogurt, the Schwartz-wielding alien he portrayed in the original film.
In a trailer released last year, Brooks appears to reveal why the long-awaited sequel won’t be using the title that was teased by his character in the 1987 film.
“Hold on, wait a minute! ‘Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money’ is not going to be the title of this movie,” Brooks declares with mock seriousness.
“Why not? Because after all these years, I found the money. It was in my basement,” he jokes.
“Spaceballs: The New One” is scheduled to arrive in theaters in April 2027.
