Walt Disney Pictures is reportedly developing a reboot of the Rick Moranis family classic Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, with Josh Gad possibly to star. Released in 1989, the original Honey, I Shrunk the Kids starred Ghostbusters' Moranis as a mad scientist working on a top secret shrinking machine who accidentally zaps his own kids, reducing them to miniature size. The movie's family-oriented fantasy action proved a hit with audiences, as the film went on to gross $130 million domestically (or $296 million adjusted for inflation).
After the big box office for the first movie, the nutty scientist Moranis and his unfortunate family would return for a sequel with a slightly different but still outrageously silly premise. Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, which saw Moranis accidentally increasing his son to colossal size, did only a fraction of the original movie's box office ($58 million domestically) and seemed to mark the end of the Honey I series. But Disney would go back to the well one more time for Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves, a direct-to-video release that saw only Moranis returning from the original movie's cast.
Now, Disney seems ready to revisit the family-friendly sci-fi hijinks of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids with a reboot/sequel. As reported by Slashfilm, the new film would be entitled Shrunk, and would star Josh Gad as Nick Szalinski, the son of Moranis' original character Wayne Szalinski. Truly following in his father's footsteps, and apparently learning nothing from his dad's mistakes, the now-grown scientist Nick would accidentally shrink his own kids. Reportedly, Disney is developing this project as a theatrical release and not for its Disney+ streaming service. The studio is said to be seeking a director who has nostalgia for the original film.
Gad of course has already developed a strong working relationship with Disney, having previously voiced the character of Olaf in Frozen and played LeFou in the live-action Beauty and the Beast. Indeed, Gad already has a few other Disney projects lined up, including Artemis Fowl, a new Muppets TV show entitled Muppets Live Another Day and an untitled family comedy he sold to the studio together with his writing partner Ryan Dixon, as well as the upcoming Frozen 2. Gad also continues to be a favorite to play The Penguin should the noted Batman villain ever make his debut in the DCEU (indeed, Gad has put himself forward for the role on more than one occasion).
With Disney continually going back into their deep vault looking for older properties to remake, it's perhaps no surprise to see them bringing out Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, a film with a winning premise that sounds like a natural to be resurrected. It remains to be seen if Moranis himself might consider returning to reprise the role of Wayne Szalinski over 20 years after he walked away from movies.
Source: Slashfilm