From the far reaches of the galaxy, the team behind “Spaceballs: The New One,” the sequel to comedy master Mel Brooks’s “Star Wars” parody, landed at Comic-Con on Friday in San Diego.
The legendary filmmaker, who has just turned 100, did not attend Hall H, the convention’s largest venue, but recorded a hilarious video for an enthusiastic audience.
“I know you’ve been waiting in line for a long time, maybe even days, and I ask why,” Brooks joked. “When I was your age, on a Friday, I would go to something called work.”
“Spaceballs” was released in 1987 at the height of George Lucas’s galactic saga.
Directed by and starring Brooks, alongside John Candy — who died in 1994 — Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, and Daphne Zuniga, it became a cult classic.
“Everyone in this audience has kept ‘Spaceballs’ alive for all these years, so from the bottom of my heart, I want to say thank you, nerds,” Brooks said.
In Hall H, director Josh Greenbaum, who is helming the sequel set to premiere four decades later in April 2027, admitted feeling pressure in taking on the project.
But he said working with Brooks, who despite his age also acted in this installment, was a great incentive.
Moranis, returning to the big screen after a hiatus of about 30 years, reprised his role as Dark Helmet and was greeted with a standing ovation in Comic-Con’s main hall.
“I started talking to Mel about a sequel in 1989, and we kept talking about it. I really wasn’t retired. I was just negotiating!” Moranis joked.
Zuniga and the new stars of this galaxy, Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman, also took to the stage, as well as the project’s screenwriters.
Comic-Con is being held at the San Diego Convention Center until Sunday, July 26.
