Rick Moranis met with standing ovation at 'Spaceballs' sequel Comic-Con panel

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rick Moranis says he finally has an answer for all of the times that “Spaceballs” fans have stopped him to ask, “When are you guys going to finally make a sequel to that thing?”

Fans at Comic-Con International were ecstatic with his response Friday. A crowd at the expo's massive Hall H stood to cheer and applaud as the 73-year-old actor — long absent from Hollywood — joined a panel to promote his return as Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs: The New One," the long-awaited sequel to the 1987 cult classic.

When his name was first announced, Moranis hid in the crowd under his character's extra large helmet as soldiers from the film used an oversized comb to search for the actor.

“This came along at the right time,” said Moranis of the film, set for release next April. “It just felt like this is it. … It is the best decision I ever made. It’s like family to me.”

Moranis and Daphne Zuniga were joined on stage by director Josh Greenbaum, writer and actor Josh Gad, writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, along with new cast members Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman. Pullman and Palmer’s character descriptions have not been revealed.

“It was so funny that I kept being like, ‘Oh my God! Can you believe they said that?’” said Palmer about first reading the script.

Pullman says he was hesitant to join the film having grown up with it and watching his father Bill Pullman’s performance as Lone Starr.

“I read it and I was like, 'Damn it. This is so good. … This is one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read.' I rarely laugh out loud when I’m reading scripts," Pullman said. "I would be a fool. It would be weird if I didn’t do it.”

Mel Brooks and Bill Pullman were not in attendance but greeted fans via prerecorded video.

Fans were shown behind-the-scenes footage of Brooks recording lines inside a vocal booth and reuniting with Bill Pullman and Zuniga, and a sneak peak at a teaser trailer.

Gad confirmed to fans that he was playing a mawg, but not John Candy’s character from the original, Barf. Gad said the new film would honor Candy and other original cast members who have since died, including Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten.

The team poked fun at the “cinematic universe” film timelines popularized by Marvel Studios with a parody displayed across Hall H's wrap-around screens showcasing imagined sequels in more than 11 phases of “The Almighty Schwartz Saga."

Rick Moranis attends a panel for "Spaceballs: The New One" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 24, 2026, in San Diego. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Rick Moranis, from left, Daphne Zuniga, Keke Palmer, and Lewis Pullman attend a panel for "Spaceballs: The New One" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 24, 2026, in San Diego. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

Josh Greenbaum, from left, Josh Gad, and Rick Moranis attend a panel for "Spaceballs: The New One" during Comic-Con International on Friday, July 24, 2026, in San Diego. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Genevieve formed Friday in the Pacific Ocean as Hurricane Fausto strengthened into a Category 2 storm and is expected to approach the Hawaiian Islands next week, forecasters said.

The risk of some impacts from wind and rainfall in the area is increasing, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Friday, but it's too soon to determine the exact location or potential magnitude.

“Interests in the Hawaiian Islands should monitor the progress of Fausto,” the center said in an advisory.

Fausto was far from land, about 1,385 miles (2,230 kilometers) east Hilo, Hawaii. Maximum sustained winds were around 105 mph (169 kph).

The hurricane center said swells generated by Fausto could cause life-threatening surf and rip tides in parts of southern California. Gradual weakening was expected during the coming days.

Genevieve was located about 570 miles (920 kilometers) south of Zihuatanejo, Mexico, and maximum sustained winds were around 50 mph (85 kph), according to an advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The advisory said the storm was expected to rapidly intensify in the coming days.

Fausto has been churning in the Pacific while Tropical Storm Bertha moved along the Gulf Coast. Bertha brought heavy surf and some flooding to southern Louisiana and Texas as it came ashore for a second time Thursday. By late that evening, the hurricane center declared Bertha had dissipated.

This GOES-19 GeoColor satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Genevieve in the Eastern Pacific on Friday, July 24, 2026. (NOAA via AP)

This NOAA satellite image taken Friday, July 24, 2026, shows Hurricane Fausto moving in the Pacific Ocean. (NOAA via AP)