Because there's no way a studio would greenlight Blazing Saddles 2 in 2025.
Joke Poo: Why is Jeff Bezos launching a luxury space yacht in 2030?
Because there’s no way the IRS would greenlight his claiming another charitable donation for a joyride around Earth.
Alright, let’s break down this Mel Brooks joke.
Analysis:
- Core Concept: The joke leverages Mel Brooks’ iconic films, Spaceballs and Blazing Saddles, to highlight a difference in contemporary sensibilities.
- Humor Trigger: The humor springs from the implication that Blazing Saddles, while a comedic masterpiece, contains potentially offensive elements that would likely be deemed unacceptable in today’s (or 2025’s) social climate. Spaceballs is perceived as less controversial, thus making it a more palatable sequel option.
- Implicit Premise: The joke implicitly acknowledges the increased sensitivity and scrutiny given to portrayals of race, gender, and other social issues in modern media.
- Irony: The humor also relies on the irony that Blazing Saddles, despite its satirical intent, might be considered more problematic than Spaceballs, a film primarily about parodying Star Wars.
Now, let’s enrich it with some factual/interesting tidbits and create a new joke/observation:
Tidbit 1: The Making of Blazing Saddles & Controversy
- Blazing Saddles faced significant opposition during production. Executives were concerned about its jokes and depictions of racism. Mel Brooks famously said he had to threaten to quit to keep certain gags in the film.
- Richard Pryor was originally supposed to star as Bart, but the studio vetoed him due to concerns about his drug use and controversial stand-up material.
Tidbit 2: Spaceballs and its Legacy
- Spaceballs was released in 1987 and, despite being a parody, required George Lucas’s permission to be made. Lucas only allowed it on the condition that there would be no Spaceballs merchandise to compete with Star Wars.
- In the movie the Winnebago is called the eagle 5, its real name. Mel rented it for the movie.
New Piece of Humor:
Headline: Mel Brooks Announces Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money – Claims "Blazing Saddles 2 would get me cancelled harder than Richard Pryor at a Klan rally in 1974. At least Spaceballs is just silly!"
(Followed by a fake quote) "Plus, with the internet, we don’t even need to hire a guy to fast-forward the video for the speedo scene! Progress, people, progress!"