A new Honey, I Shrunk The Kids film has been talked about for a while, with Josh Gad leading the charge. However until now it’s been unclear who would helm the film, but original director Joe Johnston is reportedly returning to the franchise. He will helm Shrunk, which will find Gad playing the son of Wayne Szalinski, the scientist played by Rick Moranis in the 1989 classic.
The original film was Johnston’s directorial debut and made a killing at the box office, grossing $222 million worldwide. He wasn’t involved in the two sequels, but went on to have a solid career directing movies such as The Rocketeer, Jumanji, and Captain America: The First Avenger.
Gad reportedly pitched the idea for the latest sequel earlier this year, and while Disney initially had the project in mind for its Disney+ streaming service, the studio has now changed its mind and decided to develop the film as a theatrical release. Todd Rosenberg‘s recent draft of the script was reportedly met with enthusiasm at the studio, and was a major part of the decision.
The story finds Gad accidentally shrinking his own children after following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a scientist himself.
Disney reportedly met with other directors before deciding to bring back Johnston, who helped his cause after stepping in to finish The Nutcracker And The Four Realms for the studio last year after original director Lasse Hallstrom‘s schedule prevented him from helming reshoots.
Johnston has always been a solid director of family films and remains a very reliable filmmaker. Whether audiences care about the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids franchise anymore is a big question mark though. There was likely a reason Disney was originally going to essentially dump the sequel on their streaming platform, rather than giving it a big marketing push.
As 2019 has proven, audiences aren’t simply going to roll out in droves for any reboot. If Men In Black: International and Terminator: Dark Fate struggled at the box office, it’s hard to imagine Shrunk performing much better.
#Peace.Love.Shrunk
