Mel Brooks reveals how he convinced Rick Moranis to return for Spaceballs 2

Mel Brooks lured Rick Moranis out of retirement for Spaceballs 2 by telling the actor it was “the only way” he could come back to show business.

The 72-year-old actor will reprise his role as Dark Helmet in the upcoming sci-fi parody flick in what will be his first on-screen role in nearly 30 years, and Brooks - who helmed the original Spaceballs - has now detailed how he convinced Moranis to return for the sequel.

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Brooks, 99, explained: “I said, ‘Look, do you want to go to your grave without ever coming back to show business again in any way?’

“Then I said, ‘This is the way. This is the only way. Spaceballs, Dark Helmet — that’s your re-entrance.’ I got him to do it.”

Brooks added Moranis has “never been better”, and teased his Dark Helmet is “even better” in Spaceballs 2 than in the original 1987 movie.

Brooks continued: “He’s never been better. He’s even better than in the first edition. He’s so good. He’s a strange, wonderful, lovely guy and a very talented comic.”

As well as Moranis, Spaceballs 2 - tentatively titled Spaceballs: The Search for More Money - will see the return of original cast members Bill Pullman (Lone Starr), Daphne Zuniga (Princess Vespa), George Wyner (Colonel Sandurz), and Brooks (Yogurt).

Alongside the returning cast, the movie - set to release in 2027 - will feature Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman and Josh Gad, who also co-wrote Spaceballs 2 with Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez.

While plot details about Spaceballs 2 are being kept under wraps, it has been described as “a non-prequel, non-reboot sequel part two, but with reboot elements, franchise expansion film”.

Lewis Pullman previously teased Spaceballs 2 has “so much of Mel [Brooks’] DNA in it”.

Speaking with Collider, the 33-year-old actor said: “When I read the script, it's just wildly well-designed. It's just some brilliant writing that went into it. It has so much of Mel's DNA in it, and then Josh Greenbaum is the dream director.

“He has such a close relationship with Mel, and he has such a good sense for that kind of humor. It was a really incredibly great experience.

“It was so fun to be able to just do full-blown comedy in that way, and remember that full-blown comedy — it all comes back to this, it’s almost like Ann Lee — it only works if there's full conviction. It only sells itself if you fully, truly believe it in the moment.”

The Avengers: Doomsday star also said it was a “dream come true” getting the chance to work with his father Bill, 72, on Spaceballs 2.

He told People: “It was a dream come true. We just wrapped, and … every day was such a trip. It … felt like a bizarre simulation. I just couldn’t believe my luck.”