Back in 2019 came word that Walt Disney Pictures was reportedly developing “Shrunk,” a ‘legacy sequel’ to the classic 1989 family comedy “Honey, I Shrunk The Kids”.
In the Joe Johnston-helmed original, Rick Moranis played a scientist father named Wayne Szalinski who accidentally shrinks his teenage son and daughter (alongside some neighborhood kids) to just a quarter of an inch in size.
They must then adventure through their backyard to return home while fending off insects and other massive-sized obstacles. The new project was to reportedly be set in the same universe as the original movies, albeit three decades later.
Josh Gad had signed on to play the grown-up version of Wayne’s son Adam who first appeared in the sequel “Honey, I Blew Up the Kid” in 1992. Originally developed for Disney+, the plan was to switch to a theatrical release.
Then in 2020, Rick Moranis was reportedly in talks to come out of acting retirement to reprise his role, whilst Joe Johnston was also said to be in negotiations to direct.
Three years on, nothing seems to have happened. Now Gad has offered an update on the project via social media and says the project has essentially been shelved:
“A lot of [you] ask me what’s going on with this film. Truth is, we were inches from starting and then COVID hit, inches from starting again & then my schedule exploded with conflicts, inches from starting again & budget got the best of us.”
Gad adds that if fans still wanted it, they should let Disney know by reaching out. Three films were produced in the series overall, the third being “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves”, which was released as a straight-to-DVD film in 1997 with Moranis the only actor who returned.
A lot of u ask me what’s going on with this film. Truth is, we were inches from starting and then COVID hit, inches from starting again & then my schedule exploded with conflicts, inches from starting again & budget got the best of us. If you want it, let your local @disney know. pic.twitter.com/H5l24DQyoU
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) June 26, 2023
