At 86, Mel Brooks doesn’t see himself slowing down anytime soon. During a March 10 interview with TheWrap.com, the Oscar-winning writer/director announced that he is close to turning his 1974 comedy, “Blazing Saddles,” into a musical, and he is also working on a new film – a horror film, actually.
Brooks is mainly known for the satirical features he has written and directed, such as “Spaceballs” and “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.” Brooks has also made several horror film spoofs, including “Young Frankenstein” and his last cinematic, directorial effort, 1995's “Dracula: Dead and Loving It.” This film, currently titled “Pizza Man,” would be the first horror film he has written. Brooks said he is uncertain if he would also be the director.
“I might direct it, but I need to polish it and rewrite it,” he said.
However, this would not be the first horror film to which Brooks has a connection. Brooksfilms, his production studio, helped with the release of films like 1986’s “The Fly” and its sequel, “The Fly II.” Brooks was not credited as producer for either film. He said he would like to do a box set of films the studio released.
“We made movies like ‘The Elephant Man,’ ‘My Favorite Year,’ and ‘The Fly,’ a lot of near-masterpieces,” Brooks said. “They’re movies that people don’t know I’m connected with. I’d love to issue the films with a lot of commentary and interviews and really look at the serious aspect of my career. I feel like I’ve neglected it, and I think my kids and grandkids would be proud to find out I was connected with these movies.”
On “Pizza Man,” Brooks describes the film as “kind of a traditional slasher film.”
“It reminds me of those Hammer Films from the 1950s,” he said.
Cary Elwes has signed on for the lead role, while Stacy Keach is “interested in being the villain,” Brooks said.
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