Tragic reason Ghostbusters star retired from acting for 30 years as comeback is confirmed

One of the stars of Ghostbusters is returning to acting after almost 30 years as his comeback was announced today.

Rick Moranis starred in the cult classic film and played Louis Tully, as well as other 80s films such as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Spaceballs, and Little Shop of Horrors.

The comedic celebrity stepped back from acting in 1996, appearing after this solely to do tiny voice acting roles here and there.

Following months of rumours, it was today announced that a Spaceballs 2 is in production, finally providing a sequel to the 1987 sci-fi comedy which parodies the Star Wars films.

This was announced on social media through a cast picture directly mocking the Star Wars: Force Awakens cast announcement.

First cast photo for ‘SPACEBALLS 2’

Starring Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, George Wyner, Mel Brooks, Josh Gad, Keke Palmer and Anthony Carrigan.

In theaters in 2027. pic.twitter.com/EAfkrfIMHV

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) September 25, 2025

Many may wonder why Rick Moranis is finally returning now after 30 years away, as well as what motivated him to step back from a very lucrative career.

The answer, unfortunately, is laced in tragedy.

Speaking about his decision to step back from acting in 2015 with The Hollywood Reporter, Moranis said that he ‘was working with really interesting people, wonderful people’ and ‘went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle’.

He went on to say: “But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.”

Moranis took a step back from acting to focus on his life as a single dad after the death of his wife, Ann Belsky.

Belsky and Moranis married in 1986 and had two children, however Belsky died of cancer in 1991.

Speaking to USA Today in 2005, the actor spoke about the fact that he tried to continue to appear in movies until 1997, but that it just wasn’t working.

He said: “I’m a single parent, and I just found that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the traveling involved in making movies.

“So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it.”

Presumably the actor’s return coincides with his kids having grown up now, but he also spoke about how, at the height of his fame, he hated being unable to improvise or rewrite his own lines as he did in Spaceballs and Ghostbusters.

Fans were ecstatic at the news of his return for a Spaceballs sequel though, with one tweet reacting to the news saying: “I will be there day one. Seated. First showing. For him.”

A second posted: “In all honesty I’m more excited for Rick Moranis’s return to acting in Spaceballs 2 than anything else. That man deserves the absolute WORLD.

Another fan took to Reddit to discuss the news, commenting: “Really no point in doing the movie without him. This is gonna be great.”

Spaceballs 2 is slated to release in 2027.