San Diego, CA – The Schwartz was strong with Hall H on Friday as Amazon MGM brought Spaceballs: The New One to San Diego Comic-Con, marking the first-ever appearance of comedy legend Rick Moranis at the iconic convention. The actor, who played the villainous Dark Helmet in the original 1987 Mel Brooks Star Wars parody, received a rapturous standing ovation as he took the stage, with chants of “Rick! Rick!” echoing through the cavernous hall. His return to the franchise, after a long absence from the screen, was a headline-making moment for the sequel.
The panel, expertly moderated by filmmaker Kevin Smith, featured Moranis alongside returning star Daphne Zuniga (Princess Vespa), new cast members Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, and Lewis Pullman, director Josh Greenbaum, and writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. The crowd’s appreciation for Moranis was palpable, with Smith telling him, “You made our childhoods better.” Moranis, who had been hiding in the audience wearing an oversized Darth Vader-style helmet before being revealed, hopped on stage to a hero’s welcome. The sequel marks a significant return for the comedian, who has been largely absent from film and television for most of this century.
Josh Gad, one of the creative forces behind the project, shared the unlikely origin story of the sequel. He recounted working on a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel with Moranis that fell apart, but the experience of watching the original films with his daughter sparked the idea. After she asked why there was no Spaceballs sequel, Gad had a dream about it and soon after pitched the concept to Mel Brooks. Imitating the comedy legend, Gad said Brooks’s reaction was: “Josh, it sounds like you’ve really got your finger on the pulse. I don’t know half of what you’re talking about, but I really like it.” Brooks, who appeared only via a recorded video early in the panel, thanked the fans for keeping the movie alive for nearly 40 years.
Gad explained that the new film will examine the state of modern movies and the concept of nostalgia. “The industry it was parodying is a very different industry than this one 40 years later,” he said. “We all sort of talked thematically about this word ‘nostalgia.’… We thought Spaceballs was the perfect vehicle to catch us up with everything that’s happened in filmdom and in fan filmdom.” Smith added, “When they made the first one, there was a trilogy to make fun of. Now there’s a never-ending fount.”
While Amazon MGM bucked the Comic-Con trend by not showing a trailer or clips, they did treat fans to videos of Brooks reuniting with Moranis and original star Bill Pullman. The panel also featured humorous bits, including Lewis Pullman reading a letter from his father, Bill, about the joys of family, and the reveal of a mock “Spaceballs cinematic universe” spanning multiple phases, poking fun at Marvel Studios’ timeline reveals. Director Greenbaum recalled Brooks’s simple advice before filming: “Don’t say ‘Cut!’ first. It’s ‘Action!,’ and then ‘Cut!'” The message, he said, was to not take it too seriously and to have fun. Spaceballs: The New One is set to continue the legacy of the beloved parody, with the return of its iconic cast and a fresh comedic take on the ever-expanding world of blockbuster franchises.
