Good morning: In today's edition of The Industry, we look at:
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck let it rip, Will Smith’s sci-fi, Princess Jasmine does horror, Spaceballs 2, and a wolf mom.
Let’s go!
SPACEBALLS 2: THE SEARCH FOR MORE MONEY
The Schwartz is back!
Spaceballs 2 is officially greenlit by Amazon MGM. The original Mel Brooks film was a glorious Star Wars parody.
Here’s the official synopsis:
A star-pilot for hire and his trusty sidekick must come to the rescue of a princess and save Planet Druidia from the clutches of the evil Spaceballs.
The film was complete with a few dynamite parodies: Yogurt for Yoda, The Schwartz for The Force, and literally combing the desert (still).
Here’s the line-up for the sequel:
Spaceballs 2
Star/Producer/Co-writer: Josh Gad (Olaf in Frozen, LeFou in Beauty and the Beast)
Producer: Mel Brooks
Dir: Josh Greenbaum (Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar)
Writer: Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez (LEGO Star Wars, Detective Pikachu)
Brooks recounted why he decided to parody Star Wars:
“I destroyed the Western in Blazing Saddles… But there were not many genres left for me to satirize, so I eagerly attacked science fiction. There was Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica… It was a genre rich with opportunities for devastating satire.”
If Spaceballs (1987) carried some love with its original lampooning. The current climate of Star Wars might be ripe for a bit more of an ass-kicking.
With a controversial sequel series culminating in Rise of Skywalker (2019), one the worst Star Wars movies ever made, a failed hotel, and the further watering down of the brand through multiple Disney+ show spinoffs, some better than others (not you Andor, you were perfect).
Star Wars does not have the goodwill it once had but deep down, all fans still want something great from their former favorite franchise. A little bit of ribbing could bring back a bit more of that joy.
And anything that gets people to smile while thinking of Star Wars would be a very welcome change.
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