Josh Gad is headed to space alongside Mel Brooks, who will produce the follow up to the 1987 comedy.
Josh Gad is headed to space!
On Tuesday, the 43-year-old Frozen actor and Broadway star confirmed that he will star in a long-awaited sequel to 1987's Spaceballs, which the film's original director, Mel Brooks, will return to produce. The news was first shared by The InSneider.
"My phone has never exploded as hard as it did today. We are very excited! Early days still, but working with the legendary Mel freaking Brooks to make something worthy of this franchise and his legacy has been a dream come true," Gad captioned an Instagram post.
Alongside his caption, Gad shared a screenshot of The InSneider's report, which also confirmed the involvement of Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar director Josh Greenbaum, who will co-write the script with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem scribes Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez.
"@benjisamit @cubanmissiledh @josh.greenbaum @kevinsalter1 and I worship at the alter of all things Brooks and we are doing everything in our power alongside Mel to make sure you get what you’ve waited 37 long years for. EVERYTHING 🚀 #maytheschwartzbewithyou," Gad concluded.
In the comments of his Instagram post, Gad's followers responded fondly to the news of the sequel at Amazon MGM Studios, sharing their excitement over the prospect of going to space with the live-action Beauty and the Beast star.
"YESSSSSIRRRRR 👏," responded Emily In Paris actress Ashley Park.
"OH WE’VE BEEN SO VERY BLESSED! ❤️🔥," shared Josh Groban.
"Oh my god. I thought the world was coming to an end but you’ve given me hope," added Michael Buble.
It's a project nearly four decades in the making for fans of the OG film which followed a "star-pilot for hire and his trusty sidekick" tasked with rescuing a space princess and saving the Planet Druidia from the evil Spaceballs.
In the 1987 movie, Brooks, 97, starred as President Skroob, but it appears he will remain behind the camera for this new iteration. The original movie also starred Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, Bill Pullman as Lone Starr and John Candy as Barf.
It's currently unclear if any of the original cast members will return for the sequel. It's worth noting that Gad previously was able to get the retired Moranis, 71, to sign on for a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel.
In February 2020, Gad announced that he would be starring as the son of Moranis' character, Wayne Szalinski, in the follow-up film, more than two decades after the second sequel, Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, was released.
"Been sitting on this one for quite a while. To say it is a dream come true to once again see Rick Moranis on the big screen is the understatement of the decade," Gad wrote on Instagram at the time. "But to say, I get an up seat view of him returning to play one of his most iconic roles is the understatement of the Century. It's Shrinking time. Welcome back hero! #Shrunk."
Sadly, the project was shelved by Disney during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here's hoping Gad can work his magic again.
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