Mel Brooks to Write Sequel to 'History of the World'

Actor, comedian and writer Mel Brooks, holds up his 2015 National Medal of Arts awarded to him by ex-President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Carolyn Kaster / AP
Actor, comedian and writer Mel Brooks, holds up his 2015 National Medal of Arts awarded to him by ex-President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Carolyn Kaster / AP
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Mel Brooks to Write Sequel to 'History of the World'

Actor, comedian and writer Mel Brooks, holds up his 2015 National Medal of Arts awarded to him by ex-President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Carolyn Kaster / AP
Actor, comedian and writer Mel Brooks, holds up his 2015 National Medal of Arts awarded to him by ex-President Barack Obama during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. Carolyn Kaster / AP

Mel Brooks, the 95-year-old US comedy icon, is to help write a sequel for his 1981 classic film "A History of The World Part I" as an eight-part series for Hulu, the streaming service said Monday.

"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 veteran movie-maker and actor said in a statement.

Brooks, one of the few artists to have received awards from across the full spectrum of Emmys, Grammys, Oscars and Tonys, made the original "History of the World Part I" 40 years ago.

According to Hulu, Brooks will be supported in the production and writing of the show by Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen and Kevin Salter.

Writing for the series should begin "this month" and filming start in the spring of 2022, said the platform, whose majority shareholder is Disney.

A worldwide success after its release in 1981, "History of the World Part I" is a slapstick comedy that parodied history from the Stone Age to the French Revolution.

Brooks played the parts of Moses and King Louis XVI, among others.

The film ended with the announcement of a sequel featuring a segment called "Hitler on Ice," along with a teaser of an ice-skating German dictator.

Born on June 26, 1926 into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, Brooks always wanted to ridicule Hitler -- as in one of his first musicals, "The Producers", which became one of his greatest hits.

The filmmaker's memoir is expected to come out at the end of November.



Actors Marisa Abela, Mikey Madison among BAFTA Rising Star Nominees

 Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
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Actors Marisa Abela, Mikey Madison among BAFTA Rising Star Nominees

 Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo
Marisa Abela poses as she arrives at the BRIT Awards at the O2 Arena in London, Britain, March 2, 2024. REUTERS/Maja Smiejkowska/File Photo

Marisa Abela, who portrayed late singer Amy Winehouse in biopic "Back to Black", and "Anora" star Mikey Madison are among the five nominees for the EE Rising Star Award at next month's British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards.

Abela is nominated alongside fellow "Industry" actors David Jonsson, most recently seen in sci-fi horror "Alien: Romulus", and Nabhaan Rizwan.

Rizwan's credits include film "In Camera" about an aspiring actor facing constant audition rejections and Netflix series "Kaos", a modern re-imagining of Greek mythology, Reuters reported.

British television drama "Industry" follows a group of graduates competing for jobs at a top investment bank.

Jharrel Jerome, known for Oscar winning film "Moonlight", animated superhero movie "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" and most recently biographical sports drama "Unstoppable", completes the list made public on Tuesday.

In "Anora", winner of the top prize at last year's Cannes film festival, Madison plays a young exotic dancer who becomes involved with a Russian oligarch's son. Her performance earned her a nomination for best actress in a musical or comedy film at last Sunday's Golden Globes.

The BAFTA Film Awards will take place on Feb. 16 in London.

BAFTA will announce the full list of the 2025 awards nominees next week.