Rick Moranis Talks Emotional Return for SPACEBALLS: THE NEW ONE at CinemaCon
After decades away from live-action films, Rick Moranis is stepping back into the spotlight, and honestly, it feels a little surreal.
At CinemaCon 2026, we got out first real taste of Spaceballs: The New One, the long-awaited follow-up to Spaceballs, and one of the biggest highlights was seeing Moranis back in character as Dark Helmet.
The actor, now 72, is returning to the role of Lone Starr's father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate, and if that sentence still makes sense to you, you're exactly the audience this sequel is aiming for.
This marks Moranis’ first live-action film in over 20 years, making his return even more special for longtime fans of the original Mel Brooks comedy.
Before the big presentation, Moranis caught up with Daphne Zuniga, who’s also back as Queen Vespa, and the two shared what it felt like stepping back into this ridiculous universe after nearly four decades.
"Most of the time, certainly in the beginning when I was in costume and on the set, I would look at Bill or Daphne and go, 'I don't believe this. How is this possible 39 years later?'" Moranis recalled.
"Especially with Bill, who came along with a son this time," he continued, referring to Lewis Pullman.
Pullman is joining the comedic chaos as Starburst, the son of Queen Vespa and Lone Starr, played once again by Bill Pullman. That generational crossover adds a fun twist, and it sounds like the cast felt that energy on set.
Zuniga shared the same excitement about returning, saying, "I was just like, 'How am I so lucky?' It's great to work in this business, and sometimes you do things and they're great or they are alright, but this was like a dream. Just a dream to go, at this point in my life, to be able to go play and be silly."
That sense of play carried into the filming process, especially under director Josh Greenbaum. "We would do a take and then Josh Greenbaum, our director, would go, 'We're going again, just try saying this and try saying that.'" It was like play and improve. The camera would keep rolling. It was just fun, creatively fun," she said.
The sequel, officially titled Spaceballs: The New One, is set to hit theaters on April 23, 2027, courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios. Plot details are still tightly guarded, with the studio joking that the story is protected by “an industrial-strength Schwartz shield.”
Even so, we got an exciting peek at footage and it pokes fun at everything from Star Wars to Avatar to Harry Potter. There’s even a desert sequence that echoes Star Wars: The Force Awakens, complete with wandering explorers and a character frozen in carbonite like Han Solo.
And in true Spaceballs fashion, one moment has Dark Helmet standing at a urinal next to a Na’vi. So, nothing is off-limits.
After 40 years of sci-fi evolution, there’s a lot of material to parody, and it sounds like this sequel is going all in. If the cast’s enthusiasm is anything to go by, Spaceballs: The New One is sure to pull off something rare: a comedy sequel that feels worth the wait.
Now the real question is whether the Schwartz is still strong with this one.