Lewis Pullman reveals initial reaction to Spaceballs sequel: 'No way'

Lewis Pullman has revealed his first, sceptical reaction to the Spaceballs movie sequel was "No way".

The son of fellow actor Bill Pullman admitted he had been reluctant to consider starring in Spaceballs: The New One.

Lewis, 33, explained he didn't even want to read the script, let alone contemplate joining the cast.

"When this came along, I was like, 'No, no way... I can't,'" the actor told the audience at a panel discussion as part of Comic-Con in San Diego, California on Sunday.

But after Bill, who played Prince Lone Starr in the original 1987 feature, suggested he take a look, Lewis was persuaded.

"And then Pop was like, 'Why don't we read it?'" he recalled. "And then I read it and was like, 'Damn it. This is so good.'"

He added his father - who will reprise his own role in the sequel- otherwise took a completely hands-off approach to the discussion.

"He didn't want to make me make the decision," Lewis, who eventually agreed to play his father's on-screen son, Prince Starburst, said. "And I didn't want to step into his shoes."

Describing the screenplay as "one of the funniest scripts I've ever read", Lewis explained he decided it would be "weird" if he opted to stay out of the movie.

"I looked at the team, and I was like, 'I would be a fool. It would be weird if I didn't do it,'" Lewis recalled. "And I would be on my deathbed and be like, 'That was a weird choice.'"

He said the film, which marks the pair's first foray into side-by-side acting roles, was "maybe better than anything we could have ever done".

"To do something with your family, my dad always says it is everything," Lewis gushed. "To get to make a movie with your dad, there's - I can't. I don't have the words for it."

Among other roles, Lewis previously played Robert "Bob" Floyd in 2022's Top Gun: Maverick.