Keke Palmer's Upcoming Space Opera Is Star Wars Meets The Orville

Published Jul 18, 2026, 10:00 AM EDT Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Keke Palmer's upcoming space opera movie combines Star Wars and The Orville, with hilariously promising potential right out of the gate. Palmer's movies and TV shows have included a number of high-profile releases in recent years. She most recently starred in a TV remake of The 'Burbs for Peacock, the comedy-drama having been renewed for season 2. She was also in I Love Boosters, a crime comedy where she leads a group of shoplifters. Palmer also has a number of additional roles lined up, too. This includes a voice role in The Angry Birds Movie 3 and an unknown role in the movie Lottery, which is expected to start filming soon. But she's also no stranger to sci-fi, a genre that's permeated her career for quite some time. From voicing Izzy Hawthorne in Lightyear to having a key role in Jordan Peele's Nope, Palmer has quietly been a key contender in the genre for some time now. Considering her previous involvement in the genre and its growing popularity in recent years, it's not a surprise she's managed to ensure a place in an upcoming, high-profile space opera: Spaceballs: The New One. The sequel to the 1987 Star Wars parody movie Spaceballs, the sci-fi space opera will see Palmer portray Destiny, a Palace advisor who joins Bill Pullman's Lone Star on a quest to defeat Rick Moranis' Lord Dark Helmet following his sudden return. But the movie promises to be more than an average sequel, thanks to the way it's going to be approaching its humor. Spaceballs: The New One Will Combine Star Wars' World With The Comedy Of The Orville MGM/Courtesy Everett Collection. The story of Spaceballs: The New One takes place forty years after the original movie, with Lone Star going into hiding after Lord Dark Helmet's return. Meanwhile, Queen Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is attending to her royal duties, leaving the fate of the universe in the hand of her son, Prince Starburst (Lewis Pullman) and Palmer's Destiny. Other cast members include George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz, Mel Brooks as both Yogurt and President Skroob, and undisclosed roles for Josh Gad, Anthony Carrigan, and Rowan Witt. Spaceballs: The New One is directed by Josh Greenbaum and written by Josh Gad, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit. The sequel is expected to embrace a type of humor reminiscent of The Orville, a Star Trek parody TV show created by Seth MacFarlane. The series includes both comedy pertaining to the space opera genre and humor that relates to real-world ideas and issues. This blend is something to be expected from Spaceballs: The New One as well, the sequel likely wearing a similar approach to the original movie. Of course, Star Wars references are a given, considering it's the basis for the entire parody. Spaceballs: The New One Feels Like The Right Film Coming At The Right Time Spaceballs: The New One is arriving at a time when space operas are starting to fade from the public consciousness. Star Trek's TV shows have endings in sight, while the latest Star Wars release, The Mandalorian and Grogu, fumbled with critics. The relegation of the genre to streaming TV shows is also ripe for spoofing, especially given how much both franchises have expanded onscreen in the 2020s alone. Since the original Spaceballs never held back with its parody of Star Wars being a money-printer, the sequel has a chance to do the complete opposite. Because there's a noticeable gap in the space opera genre on the big screen, the movie can provide a generally enjoyable adventure that's built on spoofing established properties. While humor is at the forefront of Spaceballs, the original movie also told a coherent story, even if the references it made were built on knowledge of Star Wars. The same will likely be the case for Spaceballs: The New One, which can embrace how the space opera genre has evolved over time to deliver a hilarious new tale with Pullman and Palmer at the forefront. Release Date April 23, 2027 Director Josh Greenbaum Writers Dan Hernandez, Josh Gad, Benji Samit