Rick Moranis Comes Out of Retirement for Role in ‘The Goldbergs” ‘Spaceballs’ Tribute

If you grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, then you grew up in the era of Rick Moranis. SCTV, Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Flintstones–Moranis was everywhere, lending his brilliantly nebbishy charisma to a generation’s favorite films. And then he disappeared around 1997, retiring early to spend time with his family. Aside from a handful of voiceover gigs (including a role in Brother Bear), Moranis completely peaced out–and he doesn’t have a credit on his IMDb page past 2007.

That’s all about to change. USA Today has reported that Moranis is taking on his first acting gig of any sort in over a decade with a guest spot on The Goldbergs. You won’t see Moranis, but you will hear him, as he’s loaning his voice to his evil (and clumsy) Spaceballs villain Dark Helmet.

The episode, which airs on May 9, will pay tribute to the Mel Brooks comedy classic and feature a dream sequence wherein young Adam Goldberg (Sean Giambrone) battles Dark Helmet. Before he wakes up, he pledges to make a Spaceballs sequel.

It took series creator Adam F. Goldberg weeks of convincing to get Moranis on board. Goldberg praised Moranis’ performance in a statement, and he revealed what he hopes comes next: “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!”

The Goldbergs airs Wednesdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

Where to stream The Goldbergs

Where to stream Spaceballs