Mel Brooks, 100, Prioritized Filming His 'Spaceballs' Sequel Scenes Due to Age
The iconic filmmaker insisted on shooting his part early for 'Spaceballs: The New One' due to his age, with several original cast members returning alongside new additions.
Mel Brooks, at 100 years old, made a specific request for the filming of "Spaceballs: The New One": he wanted his scenes shot as early as possible. Daphne Zuniga, who reprises her role as Princess Vespa, shared that Brooks' instruction was, "You better film me now because I’m 100."
The upcoming sequel is set to bring back original cast members Rick Moranis as Lord Dark Helmet and Bill Pullman as Lone Starr. Zuniga also confirmed that her on-screen husband, Pullman, will be joined by his son, Lewis Pullman, who will play their son, the prince. Keke Palmer is also set to join the cast.
"Spaceballs," a parody of the "Star Wars" franchise and other science-fiction classics, originally premiered in 1987. Brooks, who co-wrote and produced the film, was 60 at the time of its release. In the original film, Brooks also voiced President Skroob.
Moranis' portrayal of Dark Helmet in the 1987 film was so comically effective that Brooks previously told Fox News Digital that it cost the production significant time and money. "Rick Moranis cost me a lot of money," Brooks recalled. "When we were filming, the whole crew kept laughing at his antics and ruining take after take!"
Brooks recounted that Moranis' entrance in his large helmet, delivering the line "I can’t breathe in this thing," elicited such uncontrollable laughter from the crew that multiple takes were ruined. He noted that it was difficult to maintain professionalism, as even he would often be caught laughing. Brooks had to caution the crew to avoid breaking character during Moranis' performances.
Moranis, who stepped away from acting for many years before returning, has spoken about the surreal experience of reprising his role. According to People, he described feeling like he was in a "time warp" during filming, seeing his former co-stars like Zuniga and Bill Pullman at an age he was when they first made the movie, while his own children were now around that age. He admitted that initially, it felt strange, but he eventually grew to enjoy it.
"Spaceballs: The New One" is scheduled to be released on April 23rd of next year.