History of the World, Part II
History of the World, Part II is an American sketch comedy limited television series written and produced by Mel Brooks, Wanda Sykes, Nick Kroll, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen. The series serves as a sequel to History of [the World, Part I|the 1981 film] written and directed by Brooks, with sketches parodying events from different periods of human history and legend. It premiered on March 6, 2023, on Hulu.
Cast
The cast features a large ensemble, including a core of several regulars who are also among the series writers:Main
- Mel Brooks as Narrator. Orson Welles served as Narrator in History of the World, Part I.
- Wanda Sykes as various characters, including Harriet Tubman, Bessie Coleman, and Shirley Chisholm.
- Nick Kroll as various characters, including Schmuck Mudman, Judas, Galileo, Henry Kissinger, and Japheth.
- Ike Barinholtz as various characters, including Ulysses S. Grant, Alexander Graham Bell, Leon Trotsky, and Theodore Roosevelt.
Production
Despite the numeration History of the World, Part I, there were initially no plans for a sequel to the 1981 film. The title was a play on The History of the World by Sir Walter Raleigh, which was intended to be published in several volumes but only the first was completed.However, in October 2021, Hulu and Searchlight Television announced the Part II sequel series was in the works, with production beginning in spring 2022. Mel Brooks would produce and write the series along with Wanda Sykes, Ike Barinholtz, and Nick Kroll, who would also appear.