Spaceballs: The New One Comic-Con panel spoofs Marvel’s phase parade
Rick Moranis, Josh Gad, Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman hit Hall H as Mel Brooks’ sequel teased jokes, legacy and an April 23 date.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
3 min read
The Spaceballs: The New One Comic-Con panel turned Hall H into a parody command center Friday, with Amazon MGM Studios using wraparound screens to mock the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s old phase-by-phase rollouts, according to Deadline.
The gag stretched across 11 fake Spaceballs “phases,” including musicals and mystery dates, in a presentation built to skewer the kind of franchise roadmap that once dominated San Diego Comic-Con’s biggest room.
Rick Moranis, returning as Dark Helmet, made his entrance from the crowd. Deadline reported that cameras found him hidden among fans wearing Darth-style helmets before he stood up and drew a standing ovation.
Josh Gad, who is writing, producing and starring in the sequel, joked during the panel that Moranis was being modest because “They’re announcing him as part of the X-Men cast tomorrow.”
When does Spaceballs: The New One come out?
Spaceballs: The New One is set to open on April 23, according to the Comic-Con presentation. The film is a sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1987 sci-fi spoof Spaceballs, which famously sent up Star Wars and other space-adventure tropes.
Brooks is returning as Yogurt, though he did not appear in person. In a video message played for the room, the 100-year-old comedy legend said he was sorry to miss the panel because he was on the convention floor looking for a rare Charizard card.
Brooks also joked, “When I was your age, on a Friday, I would go to something called work,” before thanking the fans in the room.
Bill Pullman, who played Lone Starr in the original movie, also appeared by video and said he was tracking down a rare Charizard card in the United Kingdom. His son Lewis Pullman appeared onstage and plays Starburst, the son of Lone Starr, in the new movie.
Lewis Pullman called his father’s role in the original “unfillable” and shared a childhood grievance with one scene: Barf knocking Lone Starr’s cowboy hat away. Pullman said he was too young at the time to understand the hat had not vanished into space, adding that the new film is about his character trying to recover it.
“For a while I had real beef with Barf,” Pullman said, according to Deadline.
Who showed up for the sequel panel?
Gad, Moranis, Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman appeared at the Hall H panel. Daphne Zuniga is also back as Princess Vespa, based on footage shown to attendees.
Gad paid tribute to the late John Candy, who played Barf in the original film. He said Candy is one of the reasons the sequel has heart, while clarifying that he is not playing Barf and is instead playing a new mog character.
Asked about whether Brooks’ comedy can avoid controversy now, director Josh Greenbaum said the guiding rule from Brooks was that “It’s all about the laughs.” Moranis added that a Mel Brooks movie has space for both the smartest joke and the dumbest one.
The footage screened in Hall H was longer than the clip shown earlier at CinemaCon, Deadline reported. It included Brooks as Yogurt, Palmer and Lewis Pullman’s characters on an adventure, Zuniga as Vespa, and a bathroom gag involving an Avatar Na’vi at a urinal.
Deadline reported that the trailer was not expected to be released Friday.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.