BECOME A MEMBER!
No ads, leave comments,
influence content, live AMA’s,
and more.
See all the benefits

Spaceballs Was the Last Great Parody. Do We Really Want to Risk a Sequel?

by: 
hello world!
Drew Lewis
| June 16, 2025
hello world!

By the time Spaceballs hit theaters in 1987, George Lucas had built an empire. Mel Brooks? He brought a whoopee cushion to the throne room and popped it with pride.

Back then, Spaceballs wasn’t just a parody; it was a laser-focused, fourth-wall-breaking, merch-mocking comedy blitz that somehow felt smarter than the source material it spoofed. And now, nearly four decades later, we’re getting Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.

Which begs the question: As fans, do we really want this? Or are we just looking to capitalize on nostalgia once again?

The Original Schwartz Was Lightning in a Jar of Pickles

Spaceballs didn’t just land, it crash-landed onto a movie scene just beginning to drown in blockbuster seriousness. Brooks skewered Star Wars, Star Trek, Alien, and even Planet of the Apes before it was cool to be “meta.” It wasn’t just slapstick, it was smart slapstick. And in a world without TikTok, memes, or Twitter threads, that made it revolutionary.

Also: zero merch. That was the deal. Lucas allegedly let Brooks spoof Star Wars so long as Spaceballs never sold a single action figure. It’s the ultimate irony that Spaceballs mocked merchandising while becoming a cult classic that never got its own Yogurt Funko Pop. Punk rock.

A Sequel in 2025? Here Comes the Hype… and the Panic

Spaceballs 2 is happening ya’ll! Mel Brooks (98 and still sharper than most comedy writers today) is returning as Yogurt. Rick Moranis is back. Bill Pullman is reprising Lone Starr. Keke Palmer, genre-flexing queen of Nope, Hustlers, and daytime TV, joins the party. And Josh Gad is co-writing and co-starring, hopefully as Barf’s long-lost younger brother (RIP John Candy). 

Production kicks off this year. If done right, Spaceballs 2 could be a glorious roast of our IP-obsessed, franchise-bloated streaming landscape. If done wrong, it’ll be the Space Jam: A New Legacy of parody films.

As the teaser implies, the cultural landscape is primed. Star Wars has become a franchise so driven to mediocrity with bad sequels and even worse TV shows (Andor aside). Marvel is knee-deep in multiverses and fatigue. Every streamer wants their own space epic. Rebel Moon was great, right? A well-aimed spoof could clean house like Mega-Maid on a Red Bull.

What Could Go Right (If We’re Lucky)

If they nail it, this could be the antidote to Marvel burnout and IP fatigue. Imagine a Spaceballs 2 that targets everything from Disney+ spinoffs to multiverse madness to Snyder cultists. Picture a scene where Yogurt now runs a streaming empire churning out algorithm-approved garbage like The Helmet Diaries and Lone Star: A Spaceballs Story.

That kind of cultural punch is what we need. History of the World, Part II on Hulu proved Mel Brooks’ humor can still land, if you lean into the absurd and don’t hold back. Gad and Brooks say they’re channeling the tone of The Producers and Young Frankenstein, which, if true, gives me hope. If that same fire powers Spaceballs 2, we might just get the first legacy sequel that satirizes the concept of legacy sequels while being one.

We need the kind of unhinged, modern absurdity that could actually feel fresh in a sequel. But I suppose a Michael Winslow call-back cameo wouldn’t hurt.

What Could Go So Wrong It Hurts

Nostalgia is a great spice, but a terrible main course. If this movie leans too hard into rehashing old gags (comb the desert again?), we risk a parody that’s parodying itself.

And let’s be honest, most late-arriving comedy sequels? Rough. We saw it with Zoolander 2. Even Anchorman 2 tripped on its own glass case of emotion. Coming 2 America? Unnecessary. When the joke is “remember this joke?” it stops being funny real fast. 

For this sequel to matter, it can’t just spoof. It has to say something. If Yogurt returns just to say “we’ve gone to streaming,” but doesn’t mean anything with that line? That’s not parody. That’s product.

Bigger Than Just One Movie

This isn’t just about a sequel, it’s about whether comedy has the guts to punch up anymore.

Mel Brooks wasn’t afraid to go after the powerful. Today’s Hollywood? It loves to punch sideways. But if Spaceballs 2 can hit the soft spots of content culture, streaming sprawl, multiverse fatigue, trailer-over-substance hype, it might not just be a worthy sequel. It might be a necessary one.

Daniel Kahneman (the psychologist, not a droid) says our memory is shaped by how things end. If Spaceballs 2 fails, it doesn’t just add a bad chapter; it rewrites the whole book.

And let’s not forget: Brooks’s comedies often hid biting critiques in fart jokes. The Producers tackled fascism. Blazing Saddles tackled racism. Spaceballs? It tackled corporate greed before it was trending. A new installment has a chance to aim that same satire cannon at today’s gatekeepers: streaming giants, cinematic monopolies, and franchise fatigue.

Final Verdict

Spaceballs 2 should only exist if it’s smart enough to know it shouldn’t. If it lampoons Hollywood’s obsession with squeezing every drop of Schwartz from its franchises, then fire up the Winnebago.

But if it’s just a merch-scented cash grab with zero bite, we’ll all be left staring into the void of Yogurt NFTs, wondering what went wrong.

And if they don’t end the movie with “Spaceballs: The Last Schwartz, coming soon,” I’m not sure what we’re doing anymore.

TL;DR – Schwartz Notes

  • Spaceballs nailed smart parody when it mattered most.
  • A sequel is coming with Brooks, Moranis, Pullman, and Palmer.
  • Could be a brilliant takedown of today’s IP culture—or a toothless nostalgia-fest.
  • Parody’s power lies in commentary, not callbacks.

We’ll take Spaceballs 2—but only if it brings the funny and the fury.

Hey fellow nerds! Before you dive back into that gaming session or start your next binge-watch, here’s the deal with Couch Soup: we’re a completely independent pop culture site run by genuine fans who get just as hyped as you do about the latest games, comics, movies, and TV shows. No corporate overlords, no AI-generated content, just real people who know their Metroid from their Mass Effect.

Unlike the big corporate sites, we don’t chase clicks or stir up drama. Sure, we might have some hot takes (looking at you, controversial season finale), but they come from a place of genuine passion and respect for the creators and fandoms we cover.

Want to support what we do and join what we think is the coolest community of pop culture enthusiasts on the internet? Check out our supporter tiers – each packed with perks that’ll level up your fandom experience. Every contribution helps keep us independent and lets us keep nerding out with you!

Thanks for being part of our quest – now, back to our regularly scheduled geekery!
Drew Lewis,
Editor-in-chief
Membership
Monthly
Yearly
Members Only Newsletter
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Ability to Comment on Articles
Unlocked
Access to Couchsoup Community
Circle Forum
SIGN UP
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Annual Membership
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Annual Membership
Annual Membership
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Annual Membership
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN
Annual Membership
Everything in free +
No Ads on the Site! Woohoo!
5% Couch Soup Store Discount
Monthly AMA chat with CouchSoup team members
Early access (up to 72hrs) to new
episodes
Access to exclusive members only
content (video & articles)
JOIN

About the Author

Share This

0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Comments are for members only. Sign up here to become a member for free.

Get our Newsletter!

Featured

Shatner and Rhys-Davies spill the tea on old TV effects and a Sliders announcement!

Can William Shatner and Jon Rhys-Davies still charm an audience? You bet they can. Michelle got to join a few hundred other ppl in their panels at FanExpo Denver and learned some hints of potential new projects!
by Michelle HolstineJuly 6, 2025
1 2 3 1,007

Read more

Avatar: The Way of Water, Was It Worth the Wait?

We’ve waited 13 years for this sequel to James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar and the question is: "Was Avatar: The Way of Water worth that wait?"
by Art of Lily KJanuary 10, 2023 

10 Movies You Should Be Excited About in 2024

Do you want to know which movies you should look out for in 2024? You came to the right place. Let me guide you through the top 10 movies you should keep an eye on this year.
by Art of Lily KJanuary 15, 2024 
1 2 3 146
© 2024 CouchSoup, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Terms of Service | Privacy
© 2024 CouchSoup, LLC. All Rights Reserved
Manage Cookie Settingscrossmenuchevron-down
Cart