History of the World Part II, the long-teased sequel to Mel Brooks' 1981 comedy film History of the World Part I, has finally been greenlit as a streaming series for Hulu.
Brooks, who turned 95 this year, is returning as a writer and producer for the eight-episode sequel. In these jobs, he is joined by Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and Kevin Salter. Writing on the series begins this month, with production set to begin in Spring 2022.
History of the World Part I was a parody of historical epics, featuring satirical and scatological skits surrounding the dawn of man, Moses and the 15... er, 10 Commandments, the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and a giant song-and-dance number about the Spanish Inquisition. While far from Brooks' best film (it currently has a 59% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, just short of "Fresh"), its anything-goes comedic energy still had audiences cracking up.
Over the past 40 years, many viewers had been left hoping that Brooks would follow through on the promise of a Part II sequel teased in the film's final segment, including such scenes as "Hitler on Ice," a Viking funeral and a Star Wars-inspired musical number about "Jews in Space" (Brooks' next film as a director would be the Star Wars parody Spaceballs). At the time, there was never any intention of actually making this sequel—the "Part I" in the title and the fake trailer at the end of the movie were both jokes. Nonetheless, this joke is becoming a reality—and while particular subject matter or time periods in history have yet to be confirmed, more space-Jews seem all but guaranteed.
"I can't wait to once more tell the real truth about all the phony baloney stories the world has been conned into believing are History!" Brooks said.
Since retiring from directing following the 1995 bomb Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Brooks has found mixed degrees of success in adapting his older films to other mediums. The Broadway musical adaptation of The Producers was a massive hit, winning a record 12 Tony Awards and running for six years, though its subsequent movie remake was less successful. A musical of Young Frankenstein came and went with less fanfare, a TV cartoon of Spaceballs has all but been forgotten and Blazing Samurai, the questionable-sounding family-friendly animated remake of Blazing Saddles, still hasn't been released.
Source: Variety