Editing Spaceballs (section)

==Production==
[[File:Spaceballs helmet (cropped).JPG|thumb|right|A helmet from the film at a convention in [[Stockholm]]]]
When Brooks developed ''Spaceballs'', he wanted his parody to be as close to the original as possible. Even though the Yogurt character (Mel Brooks) mentions merchandising in the film, Brooks's deal with [[George Lucas]] on parodying ''[[Star Wars]]'' was that no ''Spaceballs'' action figures be made. According to Brooks, "[Lucas] said, 'Your [action figures] are going to look like mine.' I said OK."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maxim.com/comedians/interview-icon-mel-brooks|title=Interview: Icon Mel Brooks|date=2013-02-06|first=Patrick|last=Carone|access-date=2014-01-20|archive-date=February 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223135520/http://www.maxim.com/comedians/interview-icon-mel-brooks|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="avclub">{{cite web|url=https://www.avclub.com/article/mel-brooks-on-how-to-play-hitler-and-how-he-almost-89843|title=Mel Brooks on how to play Hitler, and how he almost died making Spaceballs |date=2012-12-13|first=Steve |last=Heisler|website=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=2014-01-20}}</ref> However, this agreement inspired Brooks to write Yogurt's "Merchandising" scene and include multiple ''Spaceballs''-branded products at other points in the film, such as placemats and toilet paper. While no mass produced ''Spaceballs'' merchandise was ever created, [[Max Brooks]] revealed in 2023 that he is in possession of the Yogurt doll used in the merchandise scene.<ref>{{cite web |title=George Lucas Talk Show Podcast |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ib_9ysgXZQI?t=33m43s |website=YouTube | date=November 2023 |access-date=2 November 2023}}</ref>

Brooks also had Lucas' company handle some post-production, saying, "I was playing ball with the people who could have said no." Lucas later sent Brooks a note saying how much he loved the film, including its story structure,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Trzcinski|first=Matthew|date=2020-06-17|title=How George Lucas Reacted to the 'Star Wars' Parody 'Spaceballs'|url=https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-george-lucas-reacted-to-the-star-wars-parody-spaceballs.html/|access-date=2020-06-18|website=Showbiz Cheat Sheet|language=en-US|archive-date=June 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200618131034/https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/how-george-lucas-reacted-to-the-star-wars-parody-spaceballs.html/|url-status=live}}</ref> and that he "was afraid [he] would bust something from laughing".<ref name="avclub"/> According to Rick Moranis, "In the original script, the description of [Dark Helmet] was that the whole costume was one gigantic helmet. Then it got scaled back to just an exaggerated version of the Darth Vader helmet."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/rick-moranis-interview-expanded-dirty-830412/ | title=Rick Moranis Interview Expanded: Dirty Jokes, Full-Body 'Spaceballs' Helmet and Slow-Motion 'Horrors' | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=October 8, 2015 }}</ref>

The bulk of the film's visual effects were executed by Apogee Inc., which was founded by former [[Industrial Light & Magic]] employee [[John Dykstra]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Spaceballs (1987) - "Visual Effects by" credits |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094012/fullcredits?ref_=m_ttfcd_tt |website=IMDb |access-date=19 July 2024}}</ref>

Pullman got the part of Lone Starr when Brooks and his wife [[Anne Bancroft]] saw him in a play—he had never seen ''Star Wars'' prior to filming.<ref name="pullmanws">{{Cite web |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spaceballs-at-30-bill-pullman-says-crew-worried-blue-screen-would-make-go-blind-1011687 |title=''Spaceballs'' at 30: Bill Pullman Says Crew Worried Blue Screen Would Make Them Go Blind |last=Parker |first=Ryan |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=June 23, 2017 |access-date=February 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221080943/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spaceballs-at-30-bill-pullman-says-crew-worried-blue-screen-would-make-go-blind-1011687 |url-status=live }}</ref> Brooks had been unsuccessfully trying to sign on big-name actors such as [[Tom Cruise]] and [[Tom Hanks]] for the film. Pullman said,

<blockquote>I think [Mel] was hurt that they didn't take him up on it&nbsp;... but then it attract[ed] two of the big comics at that time: John Candy and Rick Moranis. Once that was secured, then he said, "Heck, I'll get somebody nobody knows!" And I got a chance to do it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/1/13/qa-with-actor-bill-pullman-spaceballs-an-independence-day-se.html|first=Ben|last=Pearson|title=Q&A with Actor Bill Pullman|website=geektyrant.com|date=January 13, 2011 |access-date=2014-01-20|archive-date=February 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140202233344/http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/1/13/qa-with-actor-bill-pullman-spaceballs-an-independence-day-se.html|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Zuniga initially found Brooks' film parodies "too crass and not too funny", but after working with Brooks, she said, "I have this image of Mel as totally wacko and out to lunch. And he is. But he's also really perceptive, real sensitive in ways that make actors respond."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/33753|title=Spaceballs|publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|access-date=2014-01-20|archive-date=February 3, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203012719/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article.html?id=142229%7C33753|url-status=live}}</ref>