Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it’s “twu.” The comic genius behind the hilarious super-hits “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein,” “Spaceballs, ” and “History of the World, Part I” is back. At 95, longtime Malibuite Mel Brooks is taking on the rest of the earth’s doings in “History of the World, Part II,” after 40 years.
Part I was surely one of the best comedic films ever. It savagely skewered seminal moments in human history via hilarious vignettes.
Part II is comically teased as a follow-up film which will stream on Hulu.
Production is said to begin in the spring, and the sure-to-be outrageous final outcome is expected to premiere late next year.
Brooks will be head writer and executive producer. The comic master will be joined by talents like Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Kevin Salter.
Earlier movie masterpieces brought together first-rate comic clowns like Harvey Korman, Dom DeLuise, Cleavon Little, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn, and even Brooks himself.
It is doubtful any of those giants will return. But there are dozens talented comics who would give their right arm to work with the laugh-out-loud legend.
Brooks was born Melvin Kaminsky in 1926 in New York. Raised in Brooklyn, he became one of the area’s funnymen.
After serving in WWII, he worked at nightclubs in the Catskills like many of his pals.
After that, he went into radio as master entertainment at Grossinger’s Resort and a writer for “Your Show of Shows.” TV was next; Brooks formed longtime relationships with Carl Reiner, Imogene Coca and Sid Caesar. He won two primetime Emmys and five Emmy nominations.
Believe it or not, Mel Brooks is one of only 15 prestigious EGOT members. EGOT—which stands for Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony—is an honor that few receive. With it, he joins an exclusive group including John Gielgud,
Audrey Hepburn, Mike Nichols, and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Brooks may be 95—which to younger generations makes him like his award-winning “2,000-year-old man,” but a big chunk of his fan base are teens and 20-somethings.
The real question is whether or not the new series will also be fronting some of the “coming attractions” Brooks teased in the mock “Part II” shtick tacked onto the trailer of the new movie.
The writing on the project is just starting, and casting is yet to begin. Fans might have to wait a while to see their hero again, but it will be worth it.
As he says as King Louis XVI, “It’s good to be king.” And it’s good to be Mel.