"Spaceballs", fans, it looks like "The Search for More Money" is finally happening. That's according to a new report from Variety, which claims Amazon MGM is developing a legacy sequel to the 1987 Mel Brooks sci-fi cult classic.
According to Variety, "Spaceballs 2" is in early development at present, Plot details for "Spaceballs 2" are under wraps at the time of writing, though we do know a few key things about the flick. First and foremost, Mel Brooks is on board for the sequel as a producer. It's not the first time he's revisited one of his classics; in 2023, the 97-year-old entertainer brought us "History of the World, Part II", an eight-part Hulu sketch comedy series that parodied the historical epic.
Brooks doesn't appear to be behind the screenplay, though; that will instead be written by Josh Gad — who will star and produce, alongside Brooks — and writing duo Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez, who most recently collaborated on "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem". "Barb and Star go to Vista del Mar" director Josh Greenhaum will helm the project.
If you need a refresher on what happened in the original movie, you can find a short "Spaceballs" synopsis below, along with a clip from Amazon MGM showcasing some of the movie's (many!) moments and some thoughts on what could happen in "Spaceballs 2".
What was 'Spaceballs' about?
The original "Spaceballs" movie is first and foremost a "Star Wars" parody (though there are plenty of jokes about countless other flicks like "Alien", "Star Trek", "Transformers" and more packed in along the way).
The plot follows heroic space pilot Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man-half-dog partner, Barf (John Candy) as they mount a space-based royal rescue. Having squandered all of its fresh air, Planet Spaceball's leader, President Skroob (Mel Brooks) attempts to steal the atmosphere of nearby planet Druidia. His plan involves kidnapping Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuiga) and holding her for ransom to get through the planet's air shield.
Mercenaries Lone Starr and Barf owe a lot of money to crime lord Pizza the Hutt, so when King Roland offers a high reward for Vespa's rescue, they take the gig and are thrown into conflict with Skroob's chief enforcer, Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and his right-hand man, Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner).
After a crash-landing on a desert planet, Helmet tricks Vespa and her droid, Dot Matrix, and steals them away. But by this point, Lone Starr has received training in the ways of the "Schwartz" from Yogurt and uses his new powers to mount another rescue and put a stop to Helmet and Skroob's scheme.
If you've yet to experience it yourself, you can currently find it on Max.
What else do we know about 'Spaceballs 2'?
As we mentioned, we don't know much about the plot. However, given the original "Spaceballs" movie was a send-up of 80s sci-fi, it stands to reason that "Spaceballs 2" would be some sort of send-up of everything that's happened in science fiction in the decades since.
There's also no word whether Rick Moranis will return for the sequel. He was due to return to our screens after a lengthy hiatus in "Shrunk", a continuation of the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" franchise, though judging by Josh Gad's comments on Twitter last year, it seems that movie's on ice for now. But if Gad was able to convince him to come back for "Shrunk", maybe he could get him on board for "Spaceballs 2", especially since Ryan Reynolds managed to bring him back for a Mint Mobile commercial.
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