‘Spaceballs’ Rumors Swirl As ‘Star Wars’ Enjoys Revival

Spaceballs – a beloved 1987 spoof to the original Star Wars trilogy – is making a comeback?

Perhaps in a galaxy far, far away, but it’s not happening anytime soon in our cosmic portion of the universe, Uproxx reported this weekend.

The fervor surrounding the revival of the cult classic started when a website unearthed a three-month-old interview with Mel Brooks – the comic genius behind Spaceballs – on the Adam Carolla Show. When asked about Spaceballs 2, Brooks was candid about the film’s earning potential similar to the weekend Star Wars: The Force Awakens is enjoying.

“And I’m thinking now, if I said, if I did a movie that came out right after Star Wars comes out, you know, maybe a couple of months later, Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money, I’d have a big weekend, you know, no matter what, even if it fell on its a** and you know, didn’t get that money back.”

There’s definitely an audience for a new Star Wars spoof. Fans of Spaceballs have already imagined the Schwartz revival, already providing potential poster art for the fictitious – for now – movie.

#TheSchwartzAwakens Joshua Budich takes a page out of @ollymoss' book to give #Spaceballs the #StarWars treatment pic.twitter.com/lEENuIKncx

— Tangent (@TangentAgency) December 8, 2015

Spaceballs faces many hurdles if and when it would return to the big screen. First, both John Candy and Joan Rivers – who played Barf and Dot Matrix, respectively – have passed since the original film aired nearly 30 years ago, Cinema Blend reported Saturday.

Second, Rick Moranis – who brought the hilarious villain Dark Helmet to life in Spaceballs – has not appeared in any movies for nearly a decade following his planned retirement from acting. His name still commands attention, and the veteran actor has a cache of hit movies to his credit, including Ghostbusters, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids! and Little Giants.

The third – and maybe most important – hurdle to clear is getting Mel Brooks on board with the Spaceballs sequel. Currently, the almost 90-year-old film industry veteran has only used his voice to bring to life several animated characters over the past 15 years, largely staying away from writing or directing during this time. Would Mel Brooks be up for another Star Wars spoof?

Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened this weekend with a mix of veteran actors and several key newcomers. Among those newcomers is Daisy Ridley, who is launching her career with the popular movie. The diverse cast of the seventh Star Wars movie has also sparked rumors and dialogue about their controversial casting decisions. The actors – including newcomer John Boyega – have shut down the divisive talk, reminding movie-goers of the diversity existing in our world today.

But the talk leading up to the overwhelmingly profitable launch to Star Wars: The Force Awakens hasn’t focused solely on the negatives surrounding the movie’s release. Some of the discussion surrounding it has been from the work of Jimmy Fallon and The Roots in developing a rousing vocal remix to the Star Wars themes and tunes. Included in the development were the cast of the movie, helping to make it one of the most-watched segments from The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon of the week.

Spaceballs isn’t the only movie fan base that used Star Wars opening weekend to pique interest in an upcoming film. Star Trek Beyond also launched its first official trailer this week, sparking off another round in the feud between the two franchises.

With the success of Star Wars in mind, would you want to see a Spaceballs reboot or sequel? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

[Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images]