Honey, I Shrunk the Kids director Joe Johnston is currently in negotiations with Disney to direct their upcoming reboot of the film franchise, Shrunk, with Josh Gad in talks to star.
When Gad pitched the story idea to Disney earlier this year, the studio jumped right on board with the idea of reviving the classic 1989 film starring Rick Moranis. Shrunk will mark the third sequel following the original film.
Originally, The studio met with other directors, but in the end felt that bringing Johnston back was a perfect fit. The script will be written by Todd Rosenberg, with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman producing it through their Mandeville Films and Television banner.
In the original film, Moranis plays Wayne Szalinski, a scientist and father who accidentally shrinks his teenage son and daughter, along with the two brothers from next door. When they are thrown out with the trash, the four kids must travel through their backyard to return home while fending off insects, lawnmowers and other obstacles.
In this version, Gad will play Wayne’s grown-up son, who follows in his father’s footsteps by not only becoming a scientist, but also accidentally shrinking his children.
The studios original idea had been debuting the film on Disney Plus but the execs, thrilled by Rosenberg’s recent draft, now plan to release the film theatrically. The films development is still in its early stages with much left unknown. Be sure to check back on The Feature Presentation for more updates.