Josh Gad Claims That ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Be a ‘Tribute’ to John Candy
Until we’re watching Spaceballs II in a theater full of kids cradling Spaceballs-branded flamethrowers, the world will continue to bombard Josh Gad with questions about the belated follow-up to Mel Brooks’ beloved ‘80s comedy.
While Gad is currently promoting the movie Adulthood, which as far as we know, in no way involves characters learning the ways of the Schwartz, he’s still being asked about the sequel, which he co-wrote and is set to star in.
Most recently, Gad appeared on Today, and it wasn’t long before Spaceballs II came up. “It’s been three years since I first pitched Mel Brooks,” Gad noted, recalling that the Blazing Saddles director was extremely enthusiastic about the project, right from the jump.
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“I called him up, I pitched him the movie, which is almost identical to what we’re about to shoot, and he goes, ‘Josh, I’ve been waiting 35 years for this call,’” Gad continued. “I don’t know why he didn’t have the power to make the movie himself up until then, I don’t know why he was waiting for me to call, I was just a child when it came out.”
He also stressed that the franchise is especially important to him because he watched Spaceballs before ever seeing Star Wars. “So I’m the schlub who watched Star Wars and was like, ‘Why did they make a dramatic remake of Spaceballs?’”
One Spaceballs cast member who obviously won’t be returning for the new movie is the great John Candy, who passed away in 1994. Gad said that he’s “so excited” to see the upcoming documentary John Candy: I Like Me, and also revealed that the sequel will find a way to honor the late star. “Our movie, in many ways, is a tribute to John,” the Frozen star volunteered. “I can’t say more than that. If you’re a fan of the first one, you’re going to, I think, be very happy with what we’re doing.”
There have been a lot of rumors that Gad is playing the son of Candy’s character, Barf, aka Barfolomew. While he hasn’t confirmed or denied anything, Gad’s recent statement certainly makes that theory seem even more likely.
In another interview this week, Gad confirmed that as soon as he’s done promoting his new movie at the Toronto International Film Festival, he’s headed to Australia to begin shooting Spaceballs II. “Beyond that I can’t say anything without getting legal Amazon representatives to knock on my door,” the actor told Collider.
It’s unclear whether or not the movie will also find a way to pay tribute to the guy who had to endure wearing the Pizza the Hutt costume, who passed away in 2017.
