It's taken over 40 years to get a sequel but, hey, when you're covering the history of the world it takes some time. That's right, 42 years after Mel Brooks' hilarious film History of the World, Part I hit theaters in 1981, its sequel, the aptly named History of the World Part II is finally set for release. To get the excitement rolling, Hulu has just released several first-look images ahead of its release this spring.
The long-awaited sequel will be an eight-part series instead of a film like the original. The series will feature a variety of sketches that take place throughout the span of history. The new series will star Brooks himself along with Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, and Ike Barinholtz. And though the details regarding the varied segments are currently under wraps, the series will take viewers to such time periods as the building of the pyramids through the tumult of the Civil War, and, of course, beyond.
The original film also featured Brooks in several different roles and showed such situations as a sexually frustrated caveman, a chase through Ancient Rome and a musical Spanish Inquisition. The original film, of course, never intended a sequel, as the film was based on Sir Walter Raleigh's "The History of the World, Volume I," though the first film did include a teaser for a possible sequel. Such teased sketches include "Hitler on Ice" and "Jews in Space" but it's unclear whether either of these sketches will come to fruition. Brooks wrote and directed the first film and also serves as a writer and executive producer on the sequel series.
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Some of the first-look images do seem to nod to the original, such as the image of Sykes, Barinholtz, and Kroll standing in front of an ice rink while doing commentary. Could they be talking about Hitler's triple axle? Another image shows Barinholtz as Trotsky pointing to a particularly festive piece of communist propaganda that features some cheerful proletariats surfing a Crimson Wave.
Another image shows Sykes as Shirley Chisholm, the first Black candidate for a major party running for President of the United States, doing a dance number. The final first-look image shows Kroll pushing a cart for a delivery service called "Putz Mates". He is delivering mud pies to Russian revolutionaries. However, he may be bringing along more than just the requested lunch order.
Along with Brooks, the series is also produced by Kroll, Sykes, Barinholtz, David Stassen, Kevin Salter, David Greenbaum, and Christie Smith. The series will be released on Hulu this spring. Check out more images below:
