Bill Pullman & Rick Moranis Returning For New ‘Spaceballs’; Keke Palmer Also Set – The Dish
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis are set to reprise their respective roles as Lone Starr and Dark Helmet in the new Spaceballs movie from Amazon MGM Studios, with Keke Palmer (One of Them Days) joining the cast, sources tell Deadline.
Amazon declined to comment, and character details for Palmer are under wraps, as is the sequel’s plot. The addition of Moranis is particularly striking, as the actor hasn’t been seen much on screen for decades. As announced this morning, the original film’s director and star, Mel Brooks, will also feature in the cast once again, reprising his role as Yogurt. Slated for release in theaters in 2027, the film has been described by those who have not yet read the script as “A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film.”
Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) will direct from a script by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Josh Gad, as announced in June of last year. Gad is also expected to star and will produce alongside Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer and Jeb Brody, Brooks, and Greenbaum, with Kevin Salter, Adam Merims, Samit, and Hernandez exec producing.
Released by MGM in 1987, the original Spaceballs is an iconic send-up of the sci-fi genre, which took inspiration from the Star Wars franchise and other classics like 2001: A Space Odyssey. The plot revolves around the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) and President Skroob (Brooks), who attempt to steal the atmosphere of the peaceful planet Druidia, only to be thwarted by the hero Lone Starr (Pullman), his sidekick Barf (John Candy), and the Druish princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga). Others in the cast included Joan Rivers and Dick Van Patten. The film grossed just over $38.1 worldwide but has endured over the years as a cult classic.
Otherwise best known for turns in iconic works like Independence Day and David Lynch’s Lost Highway, Pullman has most recently been seen starring in series like The Sinner, as well as films including The High Note and Dark Waters. Upcoming, he has the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix series The Boroughs, A24’s Famous opposite Zac Efron, and more.
An icon of the ’80s and ’90s, Moranis rose to fame with roles in Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids films and more, after writing and starring in famed Canadian sketch series SCTV. Famously, he for the most part stepped away from acting in the late ’90s, focusing on raising his children following the passing of his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky. Most recently, he teamed with Ryan Reynolds on a 2020 ad for Mint Mobile.
Palmer is coming off of success with One of Them Days, a TriStar buddy comedy where she stars opposite SZA, which recently got a sequel set up for development. Next up, she’ll be seen in The Pickup, Amazon’s heist comedy out August 6, opposite Eddie Murphy; Aziz Ansari’s Lionsgate comedy Good Fortune, out October 17; and Boots Riley’s Neon pic I Love Boosters.
Pullman is repped by CAA; Moranis by Bailey Brand Management and Nelson Davis; and Palmer by 3 Arts and Hertz Lichtenstein.
I reupped with Disney+ last week, mainly to catch the reboot of Daredevil, (I'll touch on that over in TV), but also watched Snow White since it has been released to streaming now. I figured I'd just watch a little bit of it to see how ridiculous it is, given our prior discussions about the abysmally low ratings. It is not THAT bad. It is certainly flawed for sure, but I got through it. I'm not much for musicals - and I did feel like there was too much singing - but the young actress who played Snow sings well. Gadot not so much, but she sings like twice and basically the same song. It's missable, but anyone into that sort of thing might find it entertaining. (SW is now at around 1.9 on IMDB, which I'd say is grossly off. I'd put it around 5.5, maybe more like 6 if I was into it)
And (again imo obviously) Gadot was a terrible choice.
