Rick Moranis to Reprise ‘Spaceballs’ Role for ‘The Goldbergs’
Rick Moranis is coming out of retirement for a fan-favorite role. The beloved Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk The Kids star will lend his voice to an episode of ABC’s The Goldbergs, reprising his famous Spaceballs role as Dark Helmet.
ABC confirmed that the May 9 episode – aptly titled “Spaceballs” – will see Moranis returning to his 1987 role as the Mel Brooks film’s Darth Vader parody, Dark Helmet. The scene in question will feature Moranis’ voice in a dream sequence when Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) imagines Dark Helmet storming his bedroom to battle with the Schwartz. The sequence also sees Goldberg promising to get a sequel to Spaceballs made, which itself is a real-life goal of show creator Adam F. Goldberg:
I truly think Rick Moranis gave the most underrated and brilliant comedic performance in any 80s movie as Dark Helmet. I’ve been a lifelong fan of his work and became obsessed with having him reprise the role on my show. As an added bonus, maybe this even gets ‘Spaceballs’ back in the conversation and I can get my dream of helping make a sequel!
Moranis last acted onscreen in 1997 sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, and famously left the acting world to focus on his family. The release does note that Moranis has occasionally taken voice work over the years, and Goldberg reportedly “courted Moranis for several weeks to get him to say ‘yes.’” The actor notably declined any cameo in the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot, but did reprise his Second City role as Canadian doofus Bob McKenzie for a benefit last year.
Time will tell if Moranis ever makes a more lasting return to show-business, but you can watch the “Spaceballs” episode of The Goldbergs later this week.
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