Spaceballs: The New One was presented to a packed Hall H audience at San Diego Comic-Con, marking Rick Moranis’s long-awaited return to the screen as Dark Helmet nearly 40 years after the original film. The sequel aims to parody both Star Wars and the wider culture of nostalgia, with Josh Gad saying there is now far more material to satirise than when Spaceballs first drew mainly on the original Star Wars trilogy. Its creators also intend it as a tribute to the late John Candy and other original cast members who have died.

Mel Brooks, now 100, was absent from the panel but appeared in a pre-recorded comedy video and will return as Yogurt through voice work rather than physical make-up and prosthetics; the character will be realised digitally. Lewis Pullman plays Starburst, the son of Lone Star and Princess Vespa, while details of new roles for Keke Palmer and Gad remain secret; Gad confirmed he plays a different Mawg rather than Candy’s Barf. Footage shown included Dark Helmet’s return, a Doctor Strange-style portal and Palmer’s Rey-influenced character Destiny, although some previously seen jokes had been removed.