Spaceballs 2‘s 2027 release window means that the film won’t be hitting theaters until 40 years after the original Spaceballs, and while that has been a long time for fans of the parody film to wait, I am convinced that it is a good thing. Although legacy comedy sequels don’t have a great track record, Spaceballs 2 seems incredibly exciting, with the existence of the Star Wars sequel and prequel trilogies giving the film a lot of material to work with. However, this is just one of the many reasons that the four decade wait could improve Spaceballs.

The first teaser for Spaceballs 2 has finally been released, and while it didn’t show any footage of the film, it does give a feel for the tone of the upcoming movie. The teaser is a parody of the iconic Star Wars opening text crawl, with the Spaceballs 2 text listing all of the Star Wars projects and other franchises that have released in the 40 year gap between the two parody films. Alongside this teaser, several members of the Spaceballs 2 cast were announced. While some are returning characters from the original film, some exciting new additions will also appear.

Why Spaceballs 2 Has Taken So Long To Happen

There Wasn’t Originally Going To Be A Sequel

The main reason that Spaceballs 2 has taken so long is that there weren’t originally plans for a sequel. Although the original film made jokes about a sequel called Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money, no real news about a Spaceballs sequel was released until decades after the original film’s premiere. In 2013, Rick Moranis revealed that he and Mel Brooks had been talking about a potential sequel. However, at the time of this reveal, it seemed as if the film wasn’t going to move forward, killing hope for a Spaceballs 2.

News of Star Wars: The Force Awakens‘ release reignited hope for a Spaceballs sequel, with Mel Brooks explaining that he wanted to do one in 2015 after the Star Wars revival film was released. Brooks even pitched using the тιтle Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. However, things went silent after this comment. Significant Spaceballs 2 news didn’t emerge again until 2020, when Lone Starr actor Bill Pullman expressed interest in doing a sequel. However, he explained that it was completely up to Mel Brooks.

Luckily, some positive news was finally revealed a few years later. In June 2024, it was officially announced that Spaceballs 2 would be happening, with Josh Greenbaum directing and Josh Gad and Mel Brooks producing. Development finally started on the film, with 2025 seeing significant progress on the sequel. So far, it has been announced that the film is targeting a 2027 release, will have a theatrical run, and will bring back Bill Pullman, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga, and Mel Brooks. The film will also add Lewis Pullman, Keke Palmer, and Josh Gad to the cast.

Spaceballs 2 Now Has Way More Material To Parody

The Sequels, The Prequels, The Spinoffs, & The Shows

One of the best parts about the long wait for Spaceballs 2 is that the sequel now has so much more material to parody. When the original Spaceballs was released, it only had the original trilogy to pull from when developing its story and gags. However, Spaceballs 2 seems to be heavily focusing on the sequel trilogy. This means that it has a new pool of material to pull from, as there is all kinds of joke potential to be found in The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi, and The Rise of Skywalker. Plus, Spaceballs 2 is far enough removed from the sequels that it can make fun of them without feeling too reactionary.

The Star Wars sequel trilogy isn’t the only new addition to Spaceballs 2‘s parody material. There hasn’t been a Spaceballs film since the prequel trilogy was released, meaning that this will most likely be a big source of inspiration as well. While the prequels are a bit older and have already been the subject of lots of criticisms and jokes, Mel Brooks can undoubtedly find something new to do with them. That means that there are six movies for Spaceballs 2 to make fun of, doubling the content that the original Spaceballs had to work with.

However, that still isn’t all. Spaceballs 2 can parody Rogue One and Solo, giving it two more prequel movies to poke fun at. On top of that, there is a mᴀssive catalog of Disney+ Star Wars shows that have been released since the original Spaceballs. The popularity of The Mandalorian means that it will undoubtedly get some attention in Spaceballs 2. However, the film can also work with material from Andor, Ashoka, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and more. Even earlier shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars could be examined through a Spaceballs lens in the sequel.

Spaceballs 2 Taking So Long Has Allowed For Its Most Exciting Cast Addition

One Of The Biggest Stars Of The 2020s Is In The Sequel

On top of that, Spaceballs 2‘s lengthy development time is what allowed its most exciting cast addition. Bill Pullman’s son Lewis Pullman has been added to the Spaceballs 2 cast, coming off the success of movies like Top Gun: Maverick and Thunderbolts. It has been reported that Lewis Pullman will be playing the son of Bill Pullman’s Lone Starr, meaning that the father-son duo is playing a father-son duo. Many fans are crossing their fingers that Lewis Pullman’s character is also a Kylo Ren parody, riffing on the sequel trilogy’s main villain.

There’s One Big Difference With Spaceballs 2 Compared To The First Movie

It Can Be Far More Critical Of Star Wars

While there are a lot of returning elements in Spaceballs 2, the sequel has one major difference when compared to the original. When Spaceballs was released in 1987, the original Star Wars trilogy was almost unanimously beloved. Thus, Spaceballs wasn’t really criticizing the franchise, with it instead poking fun at the trilogy’s weirder elements.

However, the same can’t be said for the material that Spaceballs 2 is parodying. The sequel and prequel trilogies are incredibly divisive, and the same can be said with every Star Wars Disney+ show outside of Andor. Thus, some of the jokes in the upcoming sequel may be more critical than those found in the original Spaceballs. However, it is doubtful that Spaceballs 2 will criticize the franchise too much, as Mel Brooks has always seemed more interested in using this as a vehicle to simply tell more zany jokes.