Summary

Spaceballs focused on parodying Star Wars, with quick jabs at other sci-fi films for variety.
The overabundance of new Star Wars content provides ample material for Spaceballs 2 to satirize.
The sequel should follow the original film's formula by prioritizing Star Wars while incorporating humor from other sci-fi classics in moderation.

Spaceballs 2 has its fair share of targets to mock, but to effectively capture what fans loved, the sequel should stick to Star Wars. When the movie hits theaters in 2027, it will be 40 years since the release of Spaceballs in 1987. Much can happen over decades, and the potential cannon fodder for the upcoming sequel to parody has grown immensely during that time.

Some of the greatest sci-fi movies ever have been released since 1987, many influenced by the same films Spaceballs lampooned. However, the Star Wars landscape has also drastically changed in the last 40 years. With so much content to pull from, Spaceballs 2 could find itself pulling at too many threads to mine jokes, but its best source has always been Star Wars, and the galaxy far, far away is rife with new material.

The Cast Of Spaceballs 2 Is One Of Its Greatest Advantages, But Also Poses Its Biggest Problem

The cast of Spaceballs 2 is set to see the return of original cast members, including Rick Moranis, but it could pose their biggest problem, too.

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By Timothy McClelland

Spaceballs Parodied Star Wars And Several Other Famous Sci-Fi Films

The Star Wars parody in Spaceballs is the film's core gimmick, acting as its framework with other movies sprinkled in to good effect. Dark Helmet is a clear joke at the expense of Darth Vader, and Mel Brooks' Yogurt is the Spaceballs version of Yoda. Elements like The Schwartz poke fun at Star Wars lore with The Force, and even Stormtroopers get their time to shine, combing the desert, among others. Still, there were plenty of other jokes aimed at numerous sci-fi titles and classic films.

Spaceballs famously features a cameo from John Hurt that mirrors his death in Ridley Scott's Alien. Hurt met his end in the chestburster scene in Alien, where the creature quickly ran off. However, Spaceballs uses the moment to allow the alien to do a song and dance number. Further sci-fi references include Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, with the lengthy ship reveal scene, and Planet of the Apes, with the crashed Mega Maid ending. Spaceballs even features jokes aimed at Star Trek and the animated Transformers movie.

As with any parody film, other classics are often the butt of the joke. Spaceballs has moments that lampoon The Wizard of Oz and even the war film The Bridge on the River Kwai. While the movie could cast a wide net for jokes, it mainly stuck with Star Wars, peppering in the other film references in small amounts.

There's No Shortage Of New Star Wars Content For Spaceballs 2 To Take Aim At

In the 40 years since Spaceballs first hit theaters, the scope of Star Wars has drastically changed. Only the original trilogy had been released, with both a prequel and a sequel trilogy since released, which even the Spaceballs 2 announcement trailer made fun of in its scrolling list that attempts to encapsulate all the movies that have come out, with hilarious results. Even after George Lucas' prequel trilogy, Disney bought the rights to the franchise and began releasing a wave of new content.

Disney's sequel trilogy saw glowing financial returns but petered out creatively by the end. There have been beloved long-running shows, like Star Wars: The Clone Wars, but the Disney+ streaming service debuted the first live-action Star Wars series with The Mandalorian, which is set to release a movie. Other successful ventures include the recently concluded Andor, the spinoff film Rogue One, and the Ahsoka series. However, Disney has also missed, with the Han Solo prequel film failing, The Acolyte canceled after a single season, and the Boba Fett show wasting a fan-favorite character.

While there is plenty for Spaceballs 2 to lampoon, they'll need to whittle their choices down. However, there also seem to be obvious targets in the Star Wars realm, as since Spaceballs' release, Anakin killed younglings, Yoda pulled off some skillful lightsaber moves, and midi-chlorians became a thing.

Spaceballs 2 Should Stick To Star Wars, Keeping Other Sci-Fi Films To Quick Jabs

In the last 40 years, there have been numerous sci-fi releases for Spaceballs 2 to poke fun at. The same year Spaceballs was released was the year of Predator's debut. The 1990s saw the release of milestone films like Independence Day and the sequel-spawning Men in Black. Christopher Nolan has challenged audiences to think through movies like Interstellar, Inception, and Tenet. Even Marvel's superhero universe features a team of space-faring characters to parody in the Guardians of the Galaxy. Recent movies like Dune are also ripe for parody, given the series' impact, with another installment on the way.

However, Spaceballs 2 needs to copy the original film's formula, sticking closely to Star Wars, and letting other films pop in for one or two jokes. Spaceballs' references to Alien and 2001 play for quick laughs, letting audiences get the reference and enjoy the jab, but not overstaying their welcome. Fans could enjoy the movie quickly diverting into The Wizard of Oz elements, as the humor felt well crafted, and it fit the characters at the moment. Still, Spaceballs knew that its core focus was the parody of Star Wars, allowing it to thread everything else together.

While Spaceballs 2 is still a ways off, the movie has already promised to bring back a stellar cast, with Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis returning. Audiences likely won't get to see footage beyond the announcement trailer for some time. Still, the creative team working on the sequel appears to have a grasp on the cinema zeitgeist, with the trailer referencing various franchises. However, with so much new Star Wars content and fans expecting Spaceballs 2 to thrive on it, there is a clear path forward for the sequel.

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