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.



Zendaya Sparks Engagement Speculation at Golden Globes with a Sparkling Ring

Zendaya attends the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Zendaya attends the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
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Zendaya Sparks Engagement Speculation at Golden Globes with a Sparkling Ring

Zendaya attends the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Zendaya attends the 82nd Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, US, January 5, 2025. (Reuters)

Zendaya is generating engagement speculation after wearing a massive diamond on her left ring finger during the Golden Globes.

Representatives for Zendaya and her longtime partner, Tom Holland, did not return requests for comment from The Associated Press on Monday, a day after the 28-year-old Emmy Award-winner attended the telecast at the Beverly Hilton.

Zendaya, the breakout star from “Euphoria” and “Challengers” who showed up on the red carpet in a Louis Vuitton gown, has long been linked to Holland since they played love interests in 2017's “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” Holland wasn't at Sunday's Globes.

A reporter for the Los Angeles Times seemed to confirm something was up when she held up her engagement ring and pointed to it, and Zendaya responded by showing her own left-hand bling. The reporter then asked if the actor was engaged and “she kept showing her ring, smiled coyly and shrugged her shoulders mysteriously.”

Another clue was that Bulgari — for which the “Dune” star is an ambassador — provided Zendaya’s carpet jewelry — a necklace, right-hand ring and earrings — but a press release didn't mention the ring on her left ring finger.