BLAZING STARSHIPS

Maybe you saw the movie-trailer-within-a-movie for “Jews in Space” in Mel Brooks’ “History of the World Part II.” Could it have been a plug for a Brooks project--the $22-million “Spaceballs”--set to start production Oct. 28?

No, just an unrelated joke, according to Brooksfilm, which is aiming “Spaceballs” for next summer.

We’ve unearthed a few more details: “Spaceballs” spoofs space war movies, and stars Bill Pullman (Danny DeVito’s girlfriend’s dumb lover in “Ruthless People”) as a Hans Solo-type hero. John Candy is Pullman’s loyal, non-human sidekick. Daphne Zuniga is the princess in distress. Rick Moranis is a general from an evil planet.

Co-writer-director-producer Brooks has given himself two roles: president of the bad planet and a wizard.

Dick Van Patten is king of Good Planet Druidia. He gave us the plot: “I ask (Pullman) to help me find my daughter who has run away. She was last seen yesterday, while driving a white Mercedes 220 SL (into space).”

Mercedes are hard to come by on Druidia, Van Patten says, but in the script, “I got mine from my cousin, Prince Murray.”