Can ‘Spaceballs 2’ Be As Good As Its Marketing Campaign?
Long-delayed sequel hitting all the right notes, but worries abound
“May the Schwarz be with you!”
That line either conjures a goofy smile or a blank stare.
If you’re in the former camp, “Spaceballs: The New One” is for you. The film, a sequel to Mel Brooks’ “Star Wars” spoof, is coming next April. And while it’s normal for studios to tease a potential blockbuster, the marketing effort behind “Spaceballs: The New One” has been unusual.
Smart. Aggressive. Funny. Silly. Dripping with nostalgia.
Now, we have a new teaser poster for the 2027 release along with silly new messaging.
Somehow, Dark Helmet has returned! Forty years after the events of the first Spaceballs, fifty years after the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, and one year after the events of The Devil Wears Prada 2, the galaxy is once again under threat. A threat so evil, so unstoppable, so completely lacking in any original ideas, that it has vowed to bring back the past… every last bit of it.
With Lone Starr in hiding, Queen Vespa on the throne, and the Schwartz stretched thinner than a franchise releasing TV episodes theatrically, the only hope for the galaxy is Vespa’s undisciplined son, Prince Starburst, and a mysterious Palace advisor named Destiny. Together, they must find Lone Starr, Yogurt, and any other iconic legacy characters fans are demanding before they discover the hard way that, while some threats you can fight, the reboot is not one of them.
The only thing wrong with the film’s slow-motion rollout? That title. Here’s guessing they’ll change it before the film’s release date, unless Brooks is truly as invested in it as he suggests.
Either way, the hype for the new film will be gargantuan by that April 2027 release date.
Heck, it already is.
Brooks’ film career, filled with classics like “Young Frankenstein,” “The Producers” and “Blazing Saddles,” fizzled out with lesser works over time.
Think “Dracula: Dead and Loving It” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.”
It would be grand to see the comedy maestro cap his career with another winner. Brooks isn’t a writer or director on “The New One.” He’s serving as a producer.
The screenwriters are Josh Gad (“Central Park”), Dan Hernandez (“Pokémon: Detective Pikachu”) and Benji Samit (“Koala Man”). Not exactly a murderer’s row of talent.
Another red flag? Hollywood recently revived another Brooks comedy, “History of the World: Part One” with forgettable results.
Maybe the Schwartz will be the game changer with “Spaceballs: The New One.”
The sequel features returning stars (Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, Bill Pullman, Mel Brooks and George Wyner) and new faces (Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman and Anthony Carrigan).
Josh Gad will find a way to botch this sequel. He’s an overrated talentless hack.
Josh Gad is a leftist hack. Not feeling good about this
So Sad. Another brilliant talent trying to finish his stellar career by lending his name to what we all know will fail to be
the lighting strike of that the original production was. It’s like a group of artists painting a picture, faintly reminiscent of a masterpiece and having Leonardo listed as the guy who bought the brushes, paint, and negotiated the studio lease.
George Wyner is not a new face. He was in the original. He played Colonel Sandurz, one of the three main villains.
it will suck.
THANK YOU! I fixed it … He’s a great character actor and I just blanked on his name. Apologies and appreciate the heads up. I would normally add an editor’s note, but the post is fairly new so I’m going to pass this time. This exchange will, hopefully, serve that purpose!