Mel Brooks has cemented himself in history for his send ups of movies we grew up with. Whether it be Frankenstein, Robin Hood, Star Wars, or Hitchcock, Mel Brooks has proven himself a master of taking movie classics and making their parodies just as famous, if not more so, than the originals.
In the early 2000’s, he again showed his genius by providing us with a Broadway musical version of one of his own films, The Producers, that went on to win almost every Tony Award it could, as well as a movie remake that managed to be better than the original. He followed it up a few years later with a Young Frankenstein musical that, while pretty funny, didn’t quite live up to the magic of his black and white masterpiece.
Brooks’ latest project is a musical adaptation of Blazing Saddles, a work he had been hesitant to release due to its racial undertones, but with the popularity of Django Unchained, it appears it’s back on.
Here is what he had to say:
A lot of it is musical already … It has a rather fanciful and fantastic tone to it. And now that Django Unchained has literally used the N-word, I think I’m in the clear. I don’t look so bad. He really used that word a lot.
No information is currently available about when we can expect Blazing Saddles to hit Broadway, but if it’s even half as funny and sharp witted as the original, we are definitely in for a treat.
And for those who are so inclined, here is a parody of the Blazing Saddles trailer, mixed with dialogue from Django.
Please to enjoy: