Rarely seen 90s star receives standing ovation during

Rarely seen Hollywood star Rick Moranis obtained a rapturous standing ovation after making a shock look at San Diego Comic-Con, marking one in every of his greatest public outings in years.

The 73-year-old actor delighted followers as he stepped onto the well-known Comic Con Hall H stage on Friday, July 24, to advertise Spaceballs: The New One, his long-awaited return to the big display screen. The look is especially important for Moranis, who largely stepped away from Hollywood following the dying of his spouse, costume designer Ann Belsky, from breast cancer in 1991. The actor determined to deal with elevating their two kids, daughter Rachel and son Mitchell, reasonably than pursuing a full-time appearing profession.

This comes after the Ghostbusters star was noticed in NYC in a uncommon look before his comeback.

Wearing the outsized black helmet of his iconic character Dark Helmet, Moranis was greeted with thunderous applause as he joined co-stars Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman, and Daphne Zuniga, alongside director Josh Greenbaum and screenwriters Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez, for a panel hosted by Kevin Smith.

Although he continued to lend his voice to a number of initiatives over the years, Moranis has not appeared in a live-action movie since Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997, making his return to the Spaceballs franchise a major second for longtime followers.

During the Comic-Con panel, Josh Gad revealed the sequel had its roots in conversations about reviving another beloved Moranis franchise.

“The truth is that I had to say yes to this thing. It was the only way I could get Josh Gad to stop texting me,” Moranis deadpanned. “Actually, I started talking to Mel about the sequel in 1989. We kept talking about it. I really wasn’t retired; I was just negotiating.”

Explaining what in the end satisfied him to return, Moranis continued, “But no, this came along right at the right time, and I started talking to these folks and hearing who was going to be in it. I spoke to Josh Greenbaum, and I heard that Bill Pullman was coming back and that Lewis was going to be in it too, and it just felt like this is it. It’s time and — yes. I said yes, and it is the best decision I’ve ever made.”

Amazon MGM Studios confirmed in September 2025 that Moranis would reprise his function as the Darth Vader-inspired villain Dark Helmet in the sequel to Mel Brooks’ 1987 cult comedy, after reviews first emerged earlier that 12 months.

The unique Spaceballs famously spoofed the unique Star Wars trilogy, with Bill Pullman starring as Lone Starr, a parody of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker. Pullman will return for the sequel alongside his son, Lewis Pullman.

Neither Pullman nor Mel Brooks, who celebrated his one centesimal birthday on June 28, attended the Comic-Con panel in particular person, however each recorded particular video messages for followers.

Moranis also revealed it had been many years since he had last seen Brooks face-to-face before work started on the new movie.

“I just kept getting phone calls from him every time another Star Wars would come out, and he would say, ‘We have to make the sequel. We have to make the sequel,'” Moranis said. “When this finally happened, I came out to Los Angeles, went over to his house for the first time in 39 years.”

Spaceballs: The New One is about to reach in cinemas on April 23, 2027.