'Spaceballs 2' lands at Comic-Con with Rick Moranis making a long-awaited return
Nearly four decades after "Spaceballs" first spoofed the "Star Wars" universe, the long-awaited sequel, "Spaceballs: The New One," made a splash at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday with one of the franchise's biggest stars leading the celebration.
Rick Moranis, who famously played the villain Dark Helmet in the 1987 comedy, received a standing ovation as he surprised fans by taking the stage wearing his character's signature oversized black helmet.
The rare appearance marked one of Moranis' most high-profile public events in years and underscored his return to the franchise after decades away from live-action filmmaking.
Moranis joined fellow cast members Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman and Daphne Zuniga, along with director Josh Greenbaum and screenwriters Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez, to debut new footage and discuss the highly anticipated sequel.
Although creator Mel Brooks, who turned 100 in June, wasn't in San Diego, he still played a major role in the presentation. Brooks appeared in a prerecorded video that opened the panel, joking about missing what he called his "first" Comic-Con appearance while giving fans his blessing for the sequel.
Following the event, Gad paid tribute to Brooks on Instagram, writing, "Lest we forget, we are all here because of one man ... one legend. We love you @the.official.mel.brooks."
Palmer also fueled excitement by leaning into the viral "Netflix documentary" trend, posting a teaser on social media alongside the caption, "Y'all are not readyyy for 2027 @officialspaceballs."
Brooks first announced the film was happening in a video message shared in June.
