Disney has announced some very big news this afternoon with regard to SHRUNK, the next entry in the HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS series of films. Confirming what many fans of the Disney franchise have suspected ever since the project was announced in December, SCTV alum and comedy genius Rick Moranis will indeed be returning for the next film in the franchise, which is set to arrive in theaters, not Disney+.
Word has it that Disney was trying their damnedest to keep Moranis' involvement on the down low, but thanks to some super sleuths over at Deadline, the GHOSTBUSTERS and SPACEBALLS star's return to the franchise has been discovered.
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In the 1989 classic directed by Joe Johnston (JUMANJI, THE ROCKETEER), Rick Moranis (GHOSTBUSTERS, SPACEBALLS) stars as a scientist father named Wayne Szalinski, who accidentally shrinks his son and daughter, alongside two other neighborhood teens, to the size of insects. Once miniaturized, the teens must fight diminutive dangers as the Moranis' character searches for a way to bring them back to their original size. For the new film, FROZEN and MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS actor Josh Gad will play Wayne Szalinski's son, who follows in his father’s footsteps by not only becoming a scientist, but also accidentally shrinks his children.
David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman are producing through their Mandeville Films and Television studio, with Todd Rosenberg writing the screenplay.
Though he'd starred in a number of beloved films and comedic television series, Rick Moranis stepped away from the Hollywood spotlight in 1997 to help raise his children. While living a low-key lifestyle for some time, Moranis continued to work within the industry as a voice actor for films such as Disney's BROTHER BEAR and THE ANIMATED ADVENTURES OF BOB & DOUG MCKENZIE. Soon he'll be seen contributing to Netflix’s SCTV Martin Scorsese-directed documentary, AN AFTERNOON WITH SCTV. The special was filmed in 2018 at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre with Moranis being joined by SCTV alums Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas.
From all of us here at JoBlo, I'd like to say welcome back Mr. Moranis! It's been far too long since we've been in your good company and we can't wait to see you up on the big screen for another larger-than-life entry in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids franchise.