Rick Moranis Will Return In Disney’s SHRUNK

News emerged back in December that Disney was looking to reboot its family sci-fi comedy series Honey, I Shrunk the Kids with a new instalment entitled Shrunk. Josh Gad, who pitched the reboot, was set to star; the original film's director Joe Johnston (also of Captain America and Rocketeer fame) was in talks to direct.

Now, another major piece of the puzzle has fallen into place: THR reports that Rick Moranis will reprise the role of Wayne Szalinski, which he played in all three prior films in the franchise. Gad, in a move that makes us all feel old, will play his son.

Moranis returning to the screen is a big deal. The last time Moranis appeared in a theatrical film was in 1996's Big Bully; since then, he performed in 1997's straight-to-video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, did some voice work in video games and animated material, and that's about it. Somewhat amusingly, he said five years ago (in a THR interview explaining why he turned down 2016's Ghostbusters) that he was "surprised that Disney hasn't done Honey, I Shrunk the Grandkids." Now, we come full circle.

I'm excited to see Moranis back on screen, even if it's in what's almost certainly going to be essentially a cameo. He starred in many films that became beloved to me, like Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, and Streets of Fire; he's also in this other movie called Ghostbusters that people seem to like. His notorious pickiness for the past two and a half decades has left a small, Rick-shaped hole, and one hopes that with Johnston directing, this will be as enjoyable a jaunt into the microscopic world as the original was.

Though you might think this is a Disney+ joint, Shrunk, incredibly, is intended for a theatrical release.