Mel Brooks Made ‘Spaceballs: The New One’ Film His Scenes First Because of His Age

Few comedies have aged into cult status quite like ‘Spaceballs‘. When Mel Brooks’s Star Wars spoof arrived in 1987, reviews were mixed, but audiences held on to it for decades. That’s why a sequel arriving after nearly four decades feels like a small miracle for fans, and why every behind-the-scenes detail is getting attention.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the original and played both President Skroob and Yogurt, turned 100 on June 28, 2026. He isn’t directing the follow-up, but he’s producing it and appearing in it. That alone makes the film unusual, since few filmmakers return to their own comedy classic at that age.

The newest tidbit comes from his co-star. Daphne Zuniga, who plays Princess Vespa, revealed at the ‘Melrose Place’ panel at 90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, on Sunday, October 18, that Brooks shot his part before the rest of the cast began filming. She said the idea was Brooks’s own, and that he told the team to film him now because of his age. The panel was moderated by People’s executive editor.

Zuniga also said Brooks worked closely with the writers and is a big influence on the film. That fits what’s known about the project: he’s a producer alongside Josh Gad, Brian Grazer and Jeb Brody. It also adds a very Brooks-style joke to the production, where the legend himself reportedly took the scheduling into his own hands.

The sequel is officially titled ‘Spaceballs: The New One’, and Amazon MGM Studios is releasing it on April 23, 2027. Josh Greenbaum directs from a script by Gad, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit. Brooks unveiled the title in a video at CinemaCon, joking that it wouldn’t be called ‘Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money’.

The returning cast is a big draw. Rick Moranis is back as Dark Helmet, his first major big-screen role in around 30 years, and Bill Pullman returns as Lone Starr. Zuniga and George Wyner also reprise their roles, while Brooks plays Yogurt and Skroob again.

New faces include Gad, Keke Palmer and Anthony Carrigan, plus Lewis Pullman, who is reportedly playing the son of his real-life father’s character. The studio’s official synopsis called it a non-prequel, non-reboot sequel with reboot elements, which sounds exactly like the kind of joke the franchise built its name on.

Brooks has been part of the promotion too. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, he made his first-ever appearance at the convention, joining the ‘Spaceballs: The New One’ panel virtually by video. Moranis showed up in costume as Dark Helmet and was greeted with a standing ovation in the main hall.

Gad has described how the project started, saying he pitched it to Brooks in an intense presentation that lasted around 40 minutes while Brooks listened silently. That Brooks said yes isn’t a huge surprise given the affection around him. He was also the subject of the HBO documentary ‘Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man!’, which arrived in January.

The production timeline helps explain the urgency. Filming began in 2025 and reportedly wrapped by December 1 of that year, and the film entered post-production in April. With all the cast and crew scheduled around a movie of this scale, having its biggest legend finish his scenes first was a practical decision as well as a funny one.

It also means the film he helped shape is already largely in the can. That should please fans who have waited since 1987 for another trip into hyperspace. The trailer is still to come, but the cast is back, the title is set and the star has done his part.

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