The actor says a family movie night sparked the idea for ‘Spaceballs: The New One’ and led to a 40-minute pitch that finally brought the sequel to life

NEED TO KNOW

• Josh Gad credits his daughter for inspiring him to pitch a sequel to the 1987 sci-fi comedy Spaceballs
• Gad personally pitched the idea to Mel Brooks, who gave his approval despite not understanding modern Star Wars references
• The sequel reunites original cast members and introduces new stars including Keke Palmer and Anthony Carrigan

Josh Gad is giving his daughter credit for helping launch Spaceballs: The New One.

Speaking during the film’s Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con on July 24, Gad, 45, revealed that the idea for the long-awaited sequel began with an unexpected family movie marathon.

“Rick [Moranis] and I were actually supposed to do a sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” Gad recalled. “And I was showing my daughter that movie and she’s like, ‘Oh my God, I need to see more stuff with him.’”

His daughter quickly became a fan of the 72-year-old actor’s classic comedies.

“She fell in love with him, rightfully so,” Gad said. “So I showed her Little Shop of Horrors. I showed her Ghostbusters. Then we got to Spaceballs.”

The original Spaceballs, released in 1987, affectionately spoofed blockbuster science fiction franchises, especially Star Wars, while introducing fan-favorite characters including Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), Yogurt (Mel Brooks), Barf (John Candy) and the unforgettable Darth Vader parody, Dark Helmet (Moranis).

After watching the 1987 sci-fi comedy, Gad said his daughter immediately wanted more.

“When we finished it she goes, ‘Can we watch part two?’ And I said, ‘There is no part two,’” Gad said. “She goes, ‘Yeah, the weird little alien guy has said that there’s going to be a part two.’ And I said, ‘Oh, sweetie, that’s called a joke.’”

Instead of letting it go, she kept asking.

“She goes, ‘Well, why isn’t there a part two?’ And I was like, ‘That is a really good question.’”

That night, Gad said, inspiration struck.

“I went to bed that night, and I’ve told this story before, but I literally had a dream of what I thought the movie should be.”

Rather than let the idea fade, Gad decided to take a chance and pitch it directly to the Spaceballs creator himself.

“I don’t know what gave me the balls to do this, but I called up Mel Brooks and his producing partner, Kevin Salter, who’s in the audience,” Gad said. “And I did the most intense 40-minute pitch of this movie, and he’s just silently listening.”

He continued, “At the end of it, he goes, ‘Josh, it sounds like you really got your finger on the pulse. I don’t know half of what you’re talking about, but I really like it.’”

Gad laughed as he recalled trying to explain modern Star Wars references to the legendary filmmaker, 100.

“I was mentioning The Force Awakens and Kylo Ren and he’s like, ‘What the hell is all that?’”

Determined to honor Brooks’ collaborative approach to comedy, Gad said he immediately assembled what he called an “all-star team,” recruiting writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit before bringing in director Josh Greenbaum.

“I knew I didn’t want to write it alone,” Gad said. “Every great Mel Brooks movie is written in collaboration.”

Gad is also starring in the sequel as a new mawg (half-man, half-dog) character. During the panel, he confirmed only that he is playing “a new member in our family,” while emphasizing that he is not replacing the late John Candy as Barf.

“I am not playing Barf in this movie,” Gad told the crowd. “That is a role that is singularly played and will ever be played by one person.”

The sequel reunites original stars Brooks, Moranis, Pullman, 72, Zuniga, 63, and George Wyner, while introducing newcomers including Lewis Pullman, Keke Palmer, Anthony Carrigan and Gad.

Spaceballs: The New One is scheduled to release in theaters on April 23, 2027.

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