Spaceballs 2 Officially Begins Production With Rick Moranis Back as Dark Helmet

After decades of speculation and fan hope, Amazon MGM Studios has officially confirmed that Spaceballs 2 is in production, igniting nostalgia while promising a new wave of parody aimed at modern sci-fi. The announcement was accompanied by a clever nod to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: a staged cast table read photo almost identical to the 2014 one featuring the Star Wars cast.

Only this time, the gag includes a sly wink to Pizza the Hutt – complete with his own seat at the table, sending fans into meme-making overdrive.

The real headline, however, is the long-awaited return of Rick Moranis as the bumbling Dark Helmet. For many, his comeback feels almost miraculous. Moranis stepped away from Hollywood in the mid-1990s after the tragic death of his wife, choosing to focus on raising his children. Though he never declared a formal retirement, his rare appearances – from voicing Dark Helmet in a 2018 episode of The Goldbergs to a surprise Mint Mobile ad with Ryan Reynolds in 2020 – only underscored how deeply audiences missed his presence on screen. Now, seeing him don the oversized helmet once more feels like a cultural event in itself.

Moranis’ return is not the only nostalgic thread. Mel Brooks is back, reprising his role as Yogurt while also producing. Daphne Zuniga and Bill Pullman return as Princess Vespa and Lone Starr, joined by Pullman’s son, Lewis Pullman, who continues the family legacy by playing a new generation character. Fans are already speculating that Josh Gad may play Barf’s offspring, keeping alive the spirit of the late, beloved John Candy, whose absence will surely be felt but is affectionately acknowledged. Keke Palmer, Anthony Carrigan, and other new faces add fresh energy, proving this isn’t just a reunion but also a reboot for new audiences.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum and scripted by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Gad himself, Spaceballs 2 aims to balance reverence for Mel Brooks’ timeless comedic style with contemporary satire. In the late ’80s, the original film skewered juggernauts like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Alien, thriving at a moment when those franchises were cultural behemoths. Today, Brooks and company have an even richer field to lampoon: Disney-era Star Wars, endless superhero sagas, and the blockbuster-industrial complex. In fact, fans online are already joking that mocking Disney’s handling of the galaxy far, far away will be easier than ever – because the material writes itself.

While some skeptics question whether lightning can strike twice, others argue that Mel Brooks’ style of humor is sorely needed in today’s movie landscape. In an era dominated by nostalgia-driven sequels, Spaceballs 2 is in a unique position: it can be both the parody and the parody of the parody, riffing on how franchises themselves have turned into self-referential machines. With Brooks guiding the ship and Moranis back in the cockpit, this sequel has the potential to not only revive the irreverent humor of the original but also poke fun at the current state of Hollywood excess.

If nothing else, the sight of Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet again – paired with a pizza slice in a chair – has already delivered more joy to fans than many big-budget films in recent years. And that, perhaps, is exactly the point: comedy that doesn’t just lampoon, but also warms the heart.