Rick Moranis is heading back to cinemas, with the actor set to appear in Spaceballs: The New One in 2027 after spending many years largely away from on-screen roles.
The original Spaceballs arrived in 1987, and after decades of waiting, the long-running sci-fi comedy favorite is finally getting a follow-up nearly 40 years later. Amazon MGM Studios has said the sequel is scheduled for release in theaters on April 23, 2027.
For many viewers, a sequel would have felt incomplete without Moranis returning as Lord Dark Helmet, and that is now officially happening.
Although his last live-action film appearance came in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997, Moranis says he never viewed himself as having retired from acting.
During a San Diego Comic-Con panel on July 24, 2026, in one of his rare public interviews, the 73-year-old addressed the long gap by saying:
“I really wasn’t retired. I was just negotiating!”
He also explained why the timing worked for the new film, saying of Spaceballs: The New One:
“This came along right at the right time.”
Moranis added that part of what drew him in was finding out who else would be involved.
Several familiar faces from the original are returning, including George Wyner, Daphne Zuniga, Mel Brooks, and Bill Pullman. Lewis Pullman, best known for Top Gun: Maverick, is also joining the cast alongside his father. New additions also include Keke Palmer, Anthony Carrigan, and Josh Gad.
Even though he rejects the idea that he retired, Moranis deliberately reduced his film work in the 1990s after the death of his wife, Anne, who died from breast cancer. She was survived by Moranis and their two children, Rachel and Mitchell.
Following her death, Moranis became a single father and chose to step away from the spotlight so he could focus on raising his children. The Ghostbusters star never remarried.
He has previously made clear that he stands by that decision. In 2015, he told The Hollywood Reporter:
“I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people.
“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. My life is wonderful.”
Although he was no longer a regular presence on screen, Moranis still remained active in entertainment while raising his children.
As he explained:
“I was fortunate to be able to continue to make a living writing and doing voice work in Manhattan,”
Among those projects was voicing Rutt in Disney’s 2003 film Brother Bear. He also recorded a number of radio commercials, many of which aired in Canada, and released his own comedy albums.
Reflecting on the life change, he also told THR:
“Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, move to another city. Really, that’s all I did.”