Rick Moranis is returning to a galaxy very, very, very, very far away.
The actor is officially ending his decades-long hiatus from live-action acting for “Spaceballs 2,” a sequel to the 1987 sci-fi parody “Spaceballs.” He’s reprising his role as Lord Dark Helmet alongside Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, Mel Brooks as the Yoda-esque being Yogurt, Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, and George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz. They’ll be joined by newcomers to the goofy intergalactic adventure, including Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman and Anthony Carrigan.
Amazon MGM has confirmed the full cast now that production is underway. The studio also shared a behind-the-scenes photo of the stars, writers and director at a table read. “Spaceballs 2” is aiming to land in theaters in 2027.
Josh Greenbaum, who is known for “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar” and “Will & Harper,” is directing from a script by Gad, Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez. The film’s full title and plot description haven’t been confirmed, but Amazon MGM cheekily wrote in the official press release that “the title is rumored to be the name of the movie, and plot details are being described as information about what happens in the story.” A prior logline, also using Brooks-esque humor, described the film as a “non-prequel non-reboot sequel part two but with reboot elements franchise expansion film.” Like the original, the sequel is expected to riff on popular sci-fi franchises like “Star Wars,” “Star Trek” and “Alien.”
Moranis is best known for comedies like “Ghostbusters,” “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” He took a long break from acting after his wife, Ann Belsky, died of cancer in 1991. Moranis had plans to return to the screen in 2020 for another sequel to “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” but the projection was put indefinitely on hold due to COVID. Though he’s voiced characters since, Moranis hasn’t appeared in film since 1997’s “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.”
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Brooks, 99, is the comedy legend behind classics such as “The Producers,” “Blazing Saddles,” “Young Frankenstein” and “History of the World: Part 1.” He directed and co-wrote the original “Spaceballs” and will serve as a producer the sequel. Imagine Entertainment’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Jeb Brody, will also produce alongside Gad, Greenbaum and Kevin Salter. Adam Merims, Samit, and Hernandez will executive produce.
From Variety US