For fans that are more current about the news, I totally missed the announcement last year that Shout! Factory had begun a project in collaboration with Mel Brooks to identify and compile a sort of history of Mel Brooks, aptly titled “The History of Mel Brooks, Part 1″,  with lots of rare and previously unreleased material (Original Press Release). The project appears on schedule and the DVD box set is scheduled for release later this year/early next year.

I was only made aware of this project earlier this year when I was contacted by Shout! Factory regarding some materials I had posted on this site. After a few e-mails I hopped in my car and headed across town to lend some stuff to the project for the greater cause of Mel Brooks fans! I can’t give anything away, because I don’t know any real details, but the team is meeting with Mel regularly and the enthusiasm for the project was really, really refreshing to hear. I don’t work in the entertainment industry but this is the type of effort that makes me wish I did.  It’s not just that my contributions may be included in the final product, nor that it’s great to see a commercial interest in something that I’ve personally been interested in for so long, but that this is the treatment that someone like Mel deserves and sets Shout! Factory apart from other labels (I miss the old Rhino Records store!).

Here’s hoping that it sells a ton of copies to spawn a sequel AND the development of a Mel Brooks video game! Check back here and the Shout! Factory page for info as it comes available.