After four decades, History of the World: Part I, is finally getting its Part II. Hulu has officially ordered History of the World, Part II, which, as it sounds, is a direct follow-up to the classic comedy by Mel Brooks. Part II will be presented as a variety series that serves as a sequel to the original movie that was released in 1981. Brooks served as writer, director, and producer on that movie in addition to starring in the lead role.
Mel Brooks is back to serve as a writer and executive producer on History of the World Part II Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, and Kevin Salter are also exec producing. Per Variety, Brooks said in a statement, “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!”
The original Mel Brooks movie consisted of comedy segments and musical numbers set during different time periods, from the Stone Age to the French Revolution. It’s not yet clear which time periods will be covered in the upcoming Hulu series, but we know that the streamer has ordered eight episodes worth of History of the World, Part II. The writers room will put the show together starting this month with production set to officially begin in Spring 2022, via Searchlight Television and 20th Television.
Mel Brooks appeared as five characters in the original History of the World, Part I. There’s no indication at this time that he’ll also make an appearance on the Hulu series, though we can certainly hope. The original movie also starred Dom Deluise, Madeline Kahn, Harvey Korman, Cloris Leachman, Gregory Hines, Ron Carey, and Pamela Stephenson.
Orson Welles served as the narrator for History of the World, Part I. In a 2015 interview, per BFI, Brooks explained how he spent $25,000 for Welles to do the job, only to realize he spent too much for the job. As Brooks said, “He was supposed to do five days of work, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., narrating scenes. He started to test his voice out about 10 [minutes] to 9 a.m. By 11:30 a.m., 12 o’clock, he had done all the narration. It was all perfect. He said, ‘I’ll do any changes, anything you want, Mel.’ And I said, ‘It’s flat-out perfect. Oh my God. I could have paid you $5,000.'”
Brooks added, “I got so angry that I paid him so much and he did it in ten minutes. [I could have spent that money on] Cuban cigars and Sevruga caviar. I would have included women, but I’m getting just a little too heavy for that kind of athletic endeavor.”
No actors have yet been named for History of the World, Part II. Along with a good cast, the series will also need to have a great narrator. Welles passed away in 1985 at the age of 70. As for Mel Brooks, he celebrated his 95th birthday in June.
Filming will begin on History of the World, Part II in Spring 2022. The series will debut on Hulu with an official premiere date yet to be revealed. This news comes to us from Variety.
Source: movieweb.com