Mel Brooksis right at the center of a new featurette that goes behind-the-scenes on the set ofHistory of the World: Part II. In aVariety exclusive, the acclaimed producer and director is jokingly asked if he has ever heard about the concept of the series, after Brooks wrote and directedthe original film in 1981. The concept of both the movie and its legacy sequel is taking a new look at history through a bunch of comedic sketches. The origin of certain things, such as marriages and funerals, are depicted in funny and unexpected ways, allowing the audience to have a laugh with humanity’s alternate history.
In the featurette, producersNick KrollandWanda Sykesare seen discussing what Brooks' legacy means to the new series, and how it guided them to create a continuation better suited for modern times. Sykes even mentions how the duo pitched the show to Brooks before they entered production to make sure the project would live up to its name. While the producer is giving her explanation as to howHistory of the World: Part IIcame together, Abraham Lincoln can be seen bumping his head into a doorframe, stating that the incident would be the worst thing to happen to his head in 1865.
Besides producing the streaming series, Brooks, Kroll and Sykes also star in several of the sketches presented across the season. While Brooks narrates the context of what is going on,Nick Krollsteps into the shoes of people such as Judas, Galileo and Henry Kissinger. On the other hand, Sykes plays Harriet Tubman, Bessie Coleman and Shirley Chisholm. Asproven by the original film, the concept doesn’t stay on a single period of history, opting for exploring different moments that even take place on different centuries.
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The Historical Inspiration Behind Hulu’s Series
When creating a television show related to the history of humanity, there’s plenty of time periods and places to choose from, making the task a little bit more difficult than it should be. Duringan interview with Collider, Wanda Sykes explained that theteam behindHistory of the World: Part 2already had some ideas in mind, fortunately: “We knew the movie had such a great structure where you have some of the longer pieces where you invest a little more time, i.e. Rome and the French Revolution. So we knew we wanted to do that. I knew I wanted to do a Civil War thing, and Wanda wanted to tell a Shirley Chisholm story, and Nick wanted to tell a story about a Russian Jew living in the shtetl.”
All episodes ofHistory of the World: Part 2are now available to stream onHulu. You can check out the new featurette below:
