It’s official: Rick Moranis will take part in the newest sequel to the 1989 classic family hit “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” Deadline has confirmed that Moranis will return to his role as nutty inventor Wayne Szalinski in the sequel, “Shrunk.”
Moranis, who starred in the original “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” along with sequels like “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” (1992) and “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves” (1997), is said to have inked a deal with Disney for the upcoming production of “Shrunk.”
Rumors have swirled about this latest sequel for years, but it was believed that Moranis would not be part of the new film, with Disney even denying the possibility that he would reclaim his role as Szalinski.
However, as it often goes in the world of showbiz, plans seem to have changed and the actor has jumped on board with other cast members like Josh Gad (most famously known for voicing Olaf in “Frozen” and “Frozen 2“).
Gad will play the role of Wayne Szalinski’s son, Nick. In the 1989 original film, the role of Wayne’s son was played by then-11-year-old Robert Oliveri (who famously clung to a giant Cheerio while he tried to avoid being inhaled by his father).
Rick Moranis has been noticeably absent from Hollywood for many years, after he semi-retired in order to raise his children when his wife tragically died in 1991 after a battle with breast cancer.
“I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people,” Moranis told People, speaking of his transition from movie star to stay-at-home dad. “I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever.”
Currently in pre-production, “Shrunk” is being written by Todd Rosenberg, who also wrote the film “All My Life,” a heartwrenching new movie which is based on the tragic real-life love story of Solomon Chau and Jennifer Carter.
“Shrunk” will be directed by Joe Johnston, the director of the original 1989 film, who also directed other recent hits like “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.”
Are you excited to see the kids get shrunk — again — on the big screen?
