Rick Moranis opens up about reprising iconic Spaceballs role after 39 years

Rick Moranis has admitted that reprising his beloved role as Lord Dark Helmet in Spaceballs: The New One initially felt "very strange," before nostalgia made the experience enjoyable.

The 73-year-old actor reflected on his long-awaited return during the Spaceballs: The New One panel at San Diego Comic-Con, where he reunited with original cast members nearly four decades after the 1987 sci-fi comedy became a cult classic.

Looking around at familiar faces including Daphne Zuniga, Bill Pullman, George Wyner and Earl Sanders, Moranis said the reunion felt surreal.

"I kept having to pinch myself," he said. "I realised I was their age 39 years ago when we made this. And here we are now and my kids are the age of this."

The actor admitted slipping back into Lord Dark Helmet's oversized costume took some adjustment.

"I felt like I was in a time warp, but I was in that outfit and wearing the helmet. And it just felt very strange, to be honest with you," Moranis said. "But it started to feel really good and I really started to love it."

Director Josh Greenbaum also revealed the production went to great lengths to recreate the character's signature look, including tracking down the exact style of glasses worn beneath the famous helmet.

Fortunately, Moranis had preserved them.

"I had the original glasses," he said, explaining that they were prescription lenses and that he had kept pairs from many of the films he starred in over the years.

"So all these years, instead of playing with my dolls, I've been playing with my glasses," he joked.

Spaceballs: The New One reunites several original cast members while introducing newcomers including Josh Gad, Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman.

The highly anticipated sequel is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on April 23, 2027.