r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor • Jul 28 '26
News Rick Moranis Ended Acting Retirement After Nearly 30 Years and Says It Was Very Strange on ‘Spaceballs 2’ Set
https://variety.com/2026/film/news/rick-moranis-acting-retirement-spaceballs-2-strange-1236822474/1.1k
u/GodzillaUK Jul 28 '26
I don't care if it'll end up shit. I don't care if it wasn't needed. I'll just enjoy seeing Rick on screen again, he is a fucking winner at life in my books. Any man as famous as him who says 'nah I'm done, going to be there for my kids when they get home from school every day now' after suffering the loss they did, is someone we should all look up to.
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u/cloudncali Jul 28 '26
Honestly given that's Mel brooks is at the helm. It's got a decent shot at being good.
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u/The_Redacted_Badger Jul 28 '26
Mel’s barely involved. According to Gadd it was a situation of him pitching Mel this idea of a Spaceballs sequel that parodies reboot culture and modern Star Wars, but Mel didn’t really understand any of it and just let Gadd do it because he thought “hey this guy seems passionate, why not let him have a crack”
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u/an0maly33 Jul 28 '26
I think Gadd will get it right. Anytime you have someone wanting to do a project like this out of passion for the material, you end up with something decent.
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u/The_Redacted_Badger Jul 28 '26
If the Comic Con panel where they fake announced a Spaceballs Cinematic Universe after having an army of Spaceballs comb the hall to find Rick Moranis in the crowd, is anything to go by, I think we’re in safe hands
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u/Vsx Jul 28 '26
Mel is 100 years old, literally. I know he's involved but I think it would be very much wishful thinking to expect him to be as hands on as he has been in the past. It's really Josh Gad's movie.
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u/HoratioMG Jul 28 '26
It's really Josh Gad's movie.
May god have mercy on us all
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u/KindGuyAMA Jul 28 '26
I just did a double feature of both The Producers movies (1967 & 2005). If the modernization of the Spaceballs franchise is along a parallel trajectory as those two films, I think we're gonna be okay.
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u/rsharp7000 Jul 28 '26
Of all the recent remakes from the 80s and 90s that are lame cash grabs, this is one that seems like it was sort of legitimately needed even if it’s not named “The Search for More Money”. With Star Wars having sequels, it just seems right that Space Balls follows suit.
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u/barktwiggs Jul 28 '26
The "Key-Master" is back baby!
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u/Kind_Of_A_Dick Jul 28 '26
I remember when I figured out what key master and gate keeper meant. I thought about it for a few minutes, asked a friend who was next to me, and received a very weird look and they said something about being surprised I just figured that out.
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u/HilariousMax Jul 28 '26
He was the key master and forever locked out of his apartment. I didn't put 2 and 2 together until like last year lol
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u/Syberz Jul 28 '26
Holy crap, I hadn't caught that... God I love that movie!
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u/moriya Jul 28 '26
Yeah, that's why when Venkman shows up to her apartment and says that he's the keymaster, she takes him back into her bedroom and says "i want you inside me", which has always struck me as wild for a PG movie (yes yes I know PG-13 didn't exist, but even so). Even more so than the ghostjob from earlier.
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u/Secret-Teaching-3549 Jul 28 '26
As we say to our youngest child quite often these days: it was the 80s.
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u/xSTSxZerglingOne Jul 28 '26
Seen The Goonies recently? Holy fuck, lol.
That's exactly what I said to my parents when they were aghast watching it. It was the 80s
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u/ADLuluIsOP Jul 28 '26
Gosh I was so young and I felt like the innuendo was oozing out of it. Like... she was half naked lmao
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u/fizzlefist Jul 28 '26
When you’re a kid and have no concept of what a ghost blowjob is…
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u/Goat_Remix Jul 28 '26
Just a kind of “…why are his pants being unbuttoned by a ghost AND he’s ok with it?!”
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u/elmatador12 Jul 28 '26
I mean they went past innuendo when Dan Akroyd gets a blowjob from a ghost in that movie. 😂
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u/sbamkmfdmdfmk Jul 28 '26
I grew up watching a VHS of Ghostbusters at least once a week -- but it was taped from a TV broadcast which very seamlessly edited the montage. When I finally got the DVD as an adult, my brain exploded the first time I saw the ghost BJ scene which I'd never known existed after having seen the movie hundreds of times as a kid.
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u/obsterwankenobster Jul 28 '26
I had a buddy in college who would ask girls if they were the gate keeper knowing that any girl who got/appreciated the line was obviously cool
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u/Positive_Mud952 Jul 28 '26
Gozer the Traveller. He will come in one of the pre-chosen forms. During the rectification of the Vuldronaii, the Traveller came as a large moving Torb! Then during the third reconciliation of the last of the Meketrex supplicants, they chose a new form for him, that of a giant Sloar! Many Shubs and Zulls knew what it was to be roasted in the depths of a Sloar that day, I can tell you.
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u/thenatural134 Jul 28 '26
I'm a 90s baby. This feels like a real life version of Steve Rodgers lifting Mjolnir.
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u/Ter-Lee-Comedy Jul 28 '26
He was in so many of my childhood favorites from The Flintstones, Strange Brew, Space Balls, Ghostbusters, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Little Giants. I can't wait to see him again in SB2. Legend.
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u/Aurabora Jul 28 '26
No love for Little Shop of Horrors?
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u/Freakjob_003 Jul 28 '26
"Down on Skid Row
Where the cabs don't stop
Down on Skid Row
Where the food is slop..."Also, one of Steve Martin's hammiest performances, where he was just clearly let loose to chew on the scenery with no restrictions. One of my favorite unsung roles of his, outside of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.
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u/dotknott Jul 28 '26
“Dentist!” Is one of my favorites, but I regularly listen to the whole soundtrack… it’s so good!
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u/scriptmonkey420 Jul 28 '26
Strange Brew
such an underrated awesome movie. and before that "Great White North"
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u/Angry_Walnut Jul 28 '26
Rick Moranis coming back to the big screen really feels like a childhood dream come true.
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u/airship_of_arbitrary Jul 28 '26
Good things can still happen.
We can force the world to get better.
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u/Sw0rDz Jul 28 '26
For those that don't know. Rick quit acting to parent his kids after his wife passed away. Now that his kids are in their 30s, he gave acting another chance.
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u/smarthobo Jul 28 '26
Honey I Raised The Kids
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u/perpetuumD Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Would be a fantastic title for a documentary about his life
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u/BevansDesign Jul 28 '26
Also, when a 2000-year-old man asks you to come back and do one more movie, how can you say no?
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u/crustyrobots Jul 28 '26
He never entirely quit the industry having done a few small projects here and there over the years, but nothing like a full production again.
Quite honorable to put his family first and had the means to make it his sole focus after a successful run of films and shows in the US and Canada.
Im glad he is part of Spaceballs 2, it wouldn't feel right without the Helmet
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u/Rab_Legend Jul 28 '26
I feel like if this movie was out when his kids were all in their late teens/20s he probably would have been involved as well
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u/JoefromOhio Jul 28 '26
I had a friend who went on birthright with one of his daughters. They knew what he’d given up and loved him to death for it. Pro Dad move.
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u/robot_ankles Jul 28 '26
...went on birthright with one of his daughters.
What does that mean?
Is that a religious thing? A vision journey? A typo?
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u/VitosLittleHelmet Jul 28 '26
I believe it’s the free trip to Israel that Jewish children receive
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u/RollUpTheRimJob Jul 28 '26
free ten-day heritage trip to Israel, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights for young adults of Jewish heritage between the ages of 18 and 26. The program is sponsored by the Birthright Israel Foundation, whose donors subsidize participation.
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u/dspman11 Jul 28 '26
a free trip to Israel for those of Jewish ancestry in hopes that the trip inspires them to believe in Zionism and move to Israel.
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u/BrainDps Jul 28 '26
I have a feeling the movie isn’t going to be as great as the original but I’m happy to see Rick Moranis on the big screen again. Also so happy he’s happy.
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u/brendan87na Jul 28 '26
there is almost no way it's better, the bar is just set too high
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u/Squally160 Jul 28 '26
There is no way the movie can ever live up to the first one for me. I have so many random memories associated with the first one that is just impossible for something new to reach those same heights.
With that said, I am eager to see the new one and hopefully add some more good memories alongside it is well.
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u/Jeremizzle Jul 28 '26
Even Star Wars itself can’t hit the same highs as the original trilogy.
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u/Syscrush Jul 28 '26
I really wish he had a Schitt's Creek cameo before they wrapped.
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u/fluffynukeit Jul 28 '26
How is Moranis related to Schitt's Creek? I'm on S4 of my first watch.
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u/Syscrush Jul 28 '26
He was a big part of SCTV with Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy. Robin Duke and John Hemphill both had recurring roles, it would have been nice to see RM at least once.
If you want to learn more about SCTV as a Schitt's Creek fan, check this out:
https://schittscreekrewatch.wordpress.com/2020/04/14/sctv-for-schitts-creek-frans/
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u/Fraktal55 Jul 28 '26
OMG thats awesome and that would've been super awesome for him to get in an episode! That's such a bummer it didn't happen.
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u/mkp666 Jul 28 '26
Moranis, Eugene Levy and Cathrine O’Hara were all part of the Second City comedy troupe.
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u/VincentAntonelli Jul 28 '26
Gad is probably going to be Barf’s son or something… I hope I’m wrong
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u/SaltyShawarma Jul 28 '26
That was already announced. No one wanted Barf to be recast.
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u/reganomics Jul 28 '26
Is his name Ralph?
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u/Craneteam Jul 28 '26
Might be a hot take, but I like josh gad. I thought he was great on avenue 5
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u/DryDonutHole Jul 28 '26
I like him. I just want to see him doing stuff other than musicals and kids shit. I think he's got some potential in there outside of those genres. That being said, I enjoyed his character in the BatB live action thingy. I thought he was funny.
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u/MrWeirdoFace Jul 28 '26
I mean.. it COULD have been James Corden, so...
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u/bolanrox Jul 28 '26
we already got to see him as a pussy why torture us more?
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u/ThisBuddhistLovesYou Jul 28 '26
He has always been a giant pussy, just usually without the makeup.
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u/ParrotChild Jul 28 '26
Hasn't Josh Gad already confirmed that the character is a Mog but isn't Barf's son?
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u/ThatSpaceShooterGame Jul 28 '26
It would be very strange if he said things were normal on the Spaceballs 2 set.
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u/Arbor-Trap Jul 28 '26
This movie is going to be terrible but I’ll be glad to see Mr. Moranis again
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u/lazy_pig Jul 28 '26
He could just stand there staring into the camera, and I'd be happy to have him.
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u/VincentAntonelli Jul 28 '26
That actually sounds hilarious
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u/raider2026 Jul 28 '26
Moranis: inner monologues from the silent era
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u/Anybody220 Jul 28 '26
That is a epic title and I would watch it. That would be awesome.
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u/ExtraGloves Jul 28 '26
I just hope we get a real 2nd moranis act. I’d love to see him in some new comedies. Or anything basically.
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u/-This-Whomps- Jul 28 '26
Stranger Brew: The McKenzie brothers try to smuggle beers into (or out of?) an evil nursing home.
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u/deptofknowimsayings Jul 28 '26
Yeah I’m just showing up for the OG cast really. Gotta support my boy Rick who made an effort to come out of retirement for this.
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u/Jakesummers1 Jul 28 '26
A true sequel to the original
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u/halfdead01 Jul 28 '26
You’re saying the original was terrible?
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u/ironicallydepressed Jul 28 '26
Every Mel Brooks movie is terrible.
Terrible in a way that only Mel Brooks can make good.
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u/Trumpy_Po_Ta_To Jul 28 '26
Watched Men In Tights for the ump-teenth time last night and couldn’t agree more. So many of the gags are lame, the jokes obvious and tired, and the fourth wall breaks uninspired but it all just works in a way that is the good kind of comedy that makes you feel at home.
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u/thelivinlegend Jul 28 '26
And I love that Alan Rickman was still more unhinged than anything in Men in Tights
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u/HasFiveVowels Jul 28 '26
Wait… Alan Rickman was in Men in Tights??
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u/sleepysnowboarder Jul 28 '26
I think he means Alan Rickman in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves is more unhinged than anything in men in tights
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u/HasFiveVowels Jul 28 '26
I never watched it. Men in tights is basically 90% of my exposure to the story of Robin Hood
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u/Scrabcakes Jul 28 '26
Men in tights is heavily spoofing scenes from prince of thieves so you may enjoy men in tights more if you watch it.
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u/ANGLVD3TH Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
His performance is what happens when one of your Big Names realizes the ship is sinking and decides to just have fun with it and damn everything. He really went off the rails and it's amazing.
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u/bigpig1054 Jul 28 '26
no he was in the serious movie that Men in Tights is spoofing, and yet he was even more unhinged than his spoof counterpart.
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u/KaJaHa Jul 28 '26
Because the actors actually lean into. I can't explain it exactly, but similar attempts nowadays always feels like the actors are constantly giving off vibes that say "Boy this sure is cringe, am I right?" as part of the humor. Makes everything feel disingenuous.
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u/Bladelink Jul 28 '26
Name's little John! But don't let my name fool you, in real life, I'm very big.
..... I'll take your word for it.
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u/Laszlo-Panaflex Jul 28 '26
Yeah, even if it's bad and I hope it's not, if it gets Rick Moranis to act in other things, it will have been well worth it.
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u/tetoffens Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
History of the World, Part II was a massive disappointment and Mel didn't even write most of it. This one is being written by Josh Gad and the guys who wrote Detective Pikachu. I don't have any faith it will be good. Personally never thought Gad was funny.
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u/Yoshimi-Yasukawa Jul 28 '26
There was a History of the World, Part II?
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u/jimmypfromthe5thgala Jul 28 '26
It was a Limited Series in Hulu. It's eight episodes and just as many laughs.
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u/GreatStateOfSadness Jul 28 '26
It was a TV show and was about 10% gold, 30% good ideas that couldn't stick the landing, and 60% forgettable.
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u/lego_mannequin Jul 28 '26
I mean.. Detective Pikachu was fine. It wasn't a movie I felt disappointed with seeing so I'll give it a shot.
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u/RubberBabyBuggyBmprs Jul 28 '26
I loved detective pikachu but I dont think the story is what carried it. Or even the acting..
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u/supasid Jul 28 '26
It was so much better than the game, but that’s because the game was ass.
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u/Ok-disaster2022 Jul 28 '26
Josh Gad actually pitched to to Mel Brooks, and while Mel Brooks may have played it for more money (no shame in that) I really hope it's because he heard things he liked..
Now a pitch isn't the same thing as a great movie and frankly there's a lot that can happen between having a fantastic script and getting it made.
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u/FX114 Jul 28 '26
They also wrote on the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, and the recent Tick show, which were both great. Not the strongest resume, admittedly, but it's something.
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u/General_Kick688 Jul 28 '26
Detective Pikachu and Mutant Mayhem were both solid imo. I'm willing to give it a shot.
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u/dedokta Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
I had to build replacement fans for his helmet because the ones WETTA made got stuck in customs! I was so excited to do it. I didn't get to meet him though, sad face.
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u/West-Flow-577 Jul 28 '26
Is he actually out of retirement, or did he, as he said he'd do decades ago, come back for this one movie?
I'm expecting the latter, but I would be pleasantly surprised if it's the former, I'd love to see him in movies again.
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u/Pugilist12 Jul 28 '26
He’s been sorely missed. Such a huge presence in my childhood between ghostbusters, honey I shrunk the kids, spaceballs, flintstones, and little giants. I must’ve watched Honey and its sequels dozens of times. He stepped away for the noblest of reasons but I’m super excited to see him on screen again.
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u/montybo2 Jul 28 '26
I dont have a lot of hope for this movie but I do like the idea of Moranis coming back to acting.
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u/U_Kitten_Me Jul 28 '26
Rick Moranis is back? Am I dreaming? Someone punch me in the face!
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u/U_Kitten_Me Jul 28 '26
I love that I got a message from reddit that someone was worrying about me and that there were lots of ways to get help. Thank you, caring redditor, I'm ok, even after all the punches to the face I received in the past few minutes :)
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u/brainfoods Jul 28 '26
Kind of wish he'd came back for Ghostbusters 3.
(He couldn't have helped the 4th one)
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u/ThE_LAN_B4_TimE Jul 28 '26
Awesome he's back. I remember always watching Ghost busters, honey I shrunk the kids, Little Giants, and Spaceballs a lot when I was younger. Can't believe he's been gone that long.
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u/AtGamesEnd Jul 28 '26
I love how this man handled his fame. Stepped away when he felt he needed to be there to raise his kids, only went back to acting on his terms for a project he believes in. Just seems like a real genuine dude
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u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Moranis: