“Story of the World Part II”: First Look at Mel Brooks’ Hulu Sequel

Hulu released a first look at History of the World, Part IIthe upcoming sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1981 comedy film.

First announced in October 2021 and on track to stream sometime this spring, History of the World, Part II will consist of a variety of sketches that will take the viewer through different periods of human history, just as the feature film did more than 40 years ago.

The series will star Brooks, who also served as writer and executive producer, along with comedic contemporaries Wanda Sykes (blackish, Curb Your Enthusiasm), Nick Kroll (The League, Big Mouth) and Ike Barinholtz (MADtv, the Mindy Project). The comics will feature historical figures such as Shirley Chisholm, General Grant and Leon Trotsky.

Kroll, Sykes, Barinholtz and David Stassen are also writers on the project and serve as EPs alongside Kevin Salter, David Greenbaum and Christie Smith.

the seed World History, Part I adopted a sketch comedy format in which Brooks played five characters ranging from a Castilian Dominican friar to a stand-up comedian philosopher named Comicus. The film focused on stories from the Stone Age, the Roman Empire, the Spanish Inquisition and the French Revolution, as well as re-enactments of the Last Supper and Moses and the Ten Commandments.

In the initial photos seen above and below, the cast appear to have Brooks-inspired shenanigans, with Barinholtz reminiscent of Trotsky, Sykes-as-Chisholm wearing a 1970s-inspired jumpsuit with the word “Vote.” ‘ on the front during an on-stage performance; the comedy group acting as commentators at an ice rink; and Jewelry Mudman (Kroll) rolls a cart for Putz Mates.