I’ve always struggled to picture a Spaceballs sequel without John Candy. His role as Barf was the heart of the movie, and recasting that energy feels impossible. So when I heard about the upcoming Spaceballs: The New One, I wasn’t sold. After hearing Bill Pullman’s recent reassuring Josh Gad comments, I’m feeling a bit better about it.

In a recent interview clip shared by Fandango, Bill Pullman weighed in on Josh Gad and how he fits into this new version of the story. The way he framed it isn’t about replacing Candy, but about carrying something forward. He shared:

The biggest concern with something like a Spaceballs sequel isn’t just whether it can be funny. It's not just whether it can follow up one of the greatest parody movies of all time. Instead, it’s whether it can feel like it's still a Spaceballs film 40 years after the original's release, and without some of the people who made it what it was. Candy, in particular, brought a warmth that balanced out all the absurdity. He wasn’t just there for the jokes, but he grounded them. That’s where Gad becomes an interesting choice.

If you look at his past work, especially in comedies, there’s a similar kind of energy there. Not identical, and it shouldn’t be, but adjacent. He’s someone who can lean into the ridiculous while still making the character feel like a person you want to root for or hang out with. That’s not easy to pull off, especially in something as intentionally over-the-top as Spaceballs. Still, it sounds like the Olaf voice star has the best intentions, which is probably good considering he co-wrote the Spaceballs 2 screenplay.

Pullman’s comments also tap into something many reboots struggle with. You don’t need to recreate what came before beat for beat, but you do need a similar tone and feel. A lot of the sense of fun in original rested on John Candy’s comedic shoulders.

If Josh Gad really does bring that same kind of Candy joy to the set, that might be the closest thing you can get to honoring the late actor and what he brought to the big screen, without trying to imitate it. There’s still a lot we don’t know about Spaceballs: The New One. Details are pretty limited, and there’s always a risk when you revisit something this beloved. Comedy, especially, is tricky. What worked decades ago doesn’t always land the same way now, and the balance between nostalgia and something fresh is hard to get right.

This is the first time the project feels like it might truly grasp what made the original special. I suppose I’ll have to give the film a chance when it finally reaches theaters, not on the 2026 movie calendar, but on April 23, 2027. While we wait for the follow-up release, you can revisit the OG flick with an Amazon Prime Video Subscription.

Normally, April is my favorite time of the year. The weather is nice, my roses start budding, and April 25th is the perfect day, obviously. This year, though, there’s been a lot of rain and personal upheaval, and April has not been doing it for me. That is, until Walt Disney World dropped an amazing video of Josh Gad acting as a greeter at Disneyland.

Honestly, what’s not to love about wholesome content like this? From the early morning dawn light splayed on the guests, to Josh Gad’s hot take train jabs, this video has it all: Surprise, humor, and most of all, a little magic. Take a look.

This wouldn’t be the first time Josh Gad has taken over someone’s job at a Disney theme park. This time, he thought he would be becoming a storyeller on the relaxing Storybook Land Canal Boats ride (a middlingly-ranked Disneyland attraction). Instead, a cast member assigns him as a “barker,” which is certainly a lesser-ranking job and he jokingly seems unamused about.

Early in the full video, when Gad does get recognized, I’m obsessed with his first impulse, which is comedy. When a fan asks if “that’s Josh Gad,” he turns around and hollers, “Where?” I've interviewed the actor before, and he really is a larger-than-life personality, so I can't imagine running into him unexpectedly in a theme park setting. I'm sure it was amazing.

Eventually, he does steal the mic and crack jokes about Pinocchio whale endoscopies and having more fun than the guests on the “train.” You can see more from his unexpected day in the parks, below.

Josh Gad was also supposed to be on hand for a World of Frozen event at Disneyland Paris earlier this month, but had to bail on the event due to a family health issue that took him back home. It is nice to see he did make it to one of the parks this month, even if he missed the “intense” malfunction of the Olaf animatronic over in Europe. The good news is his mom was rushed to the ER in time, and in his last update he mentioned she’s slowly gotten better. Since then, he’s been able to get back to “work.” Which, in this case means amusing his fans with funny Disney commentary, and heading to Japan. It's not a bad gig, being an actor.

Gad’s a longtime Disney guy, and he has work outside Frozen for Disney right now too. In fact, he recently did voiceover work for the DisneyNature Orangutan doc, which is set to be available to those with a Disney+ subscription on Earth day. You can see more of what's heading to streaming with our 2026 TV schedule.

Disney Experiences always seems to be pushing the boundaries of what’s possible when it comes to entertaining its guests, and the company recently did that in a big way with Frozen’s Olaf. The free-roaming and talking Olaf animatronic recently became operational at Disneyland Paris, though the adorable, mechanized puppet had a malfunction just recently. While Olaf is operational again, fans across the internet have been joking about the situation. Now, Josh Gad – who voices the character – has entered the chat.

Like some of his peers, Gad appears to remain plugged into what fans are discussing across social media. So it was probably just a matter of time before he decided to weigh in on the animatronic based on his beloved Frozen character. Gad took to Instagram to share the clip of the malfunction, which happened in front of a group of people at Disneyland Paris. While that video may still generate a chuckle or two from users, it’s Gad’s witty (and completely relatable) comment that has me laughing:

I can imagine there are plenty of people who can relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed by emails after returning from some well needed time off. Personally, I can think of more than a few occasions when I’ve gone out of town for a while and have been met with a stuffed inbox upon my return to work. (Whew, I’m getting jittery just thinking about it.) My own experiences aside, though, I’m impressed that Gad never seems to miss a cue. Check out his post down below:

Based on the clip, that was a relatively intense moment for guests, who were intently watching Olaf before he essentially became frozen (no pun intended) and fell over. Gasps and shrieks from park attendees can be heard when the mechanical creation takes that tumble, and even I have to admit I probably would’ve been a little shook had I seen that in real time. It’s good that everything’s been sorted out on that front, but the internet is forever, which means this clip could continue to circulate and generate jokes.

What isn’t a laughing matter, though, is the considerable time and effort that Walt Disney’s Imagineering team put into crafting the Olaf animatronic, which was announced to be in the works back in November 2025. Also announced to be a fixture at Disneyland Hong Kong, the life-like robot was also a product of the Imagineers collaborating with Gad and the Frozen character’s lead animator. Given the finished result, I’d say that partnership paid off in a big way.

Although fans are now in a position to interact with Olaf like never before, they’ll also still be able to see him on the big screen in a new adventure. Frozen 3 is officially in the works, and it’s set to be released in 2027. Plot details are, of course, being kept tightly under wraps, though Gad provided an update this past February by sharing a behind-the-scenes photo. That snapshot appeared to indicate that the actor had begun recording his work on the threequel.

So, if it weren’t clear already, the Frozen franchise (of which the films and spinoffs are streamable with a Disney+ subscription) continues to permeate pop culture in different ways. The Olaf animatronic, in particular, could also set a new standard for the kind of fare that awaits guests at Disney’s parks. We’ll see how that pans out but, in the meantime, I’m eager to see how the Olaf robot makes waves in his own right (and whether it garners another funny response from Josh Gad).

Josh Gad is a true Disney Legend. He achieved that status two years ago at D23, but even outside of the award, he’s been a mainstay for the studio, appearing in everything from Frozen to Disney+ documentaries to Marvel Studios’ Wonder Man. He’s also seen often in Disney Parks as he's part of a YouTube series where he takes on Cast member jobs. Unfortunately, his most recent appearance at a Disney park had to be cancelled as his mother is apparently quite ill.

Gad recently posted to Instagram that he had only just arrived in Paris in order to see the new World of Frozen that is part of the newly redesigned Disney Adventure World at Disneyland Paris, when he had to turn around and head home to deal with a medical emergency. He wrote in part…

This is certainly going to be heartbreaking to Josh Gad’s many fans, and I certainly hope everything turns out ok. Nobody wants to learn about a close family member having what is clearly a serious medical problem, especially when you’re thousands of miles away.

Of course, family comes first, and Josh Gad is asking all his followers to keep his family in their thoughts right now. Whatever is going on is clearly serious. He added at the end of his post…

The new World of Frozen is set to open at Disney Adventure World on March 29, so Gad was clearly on hand to get an early peek at the new land. It likely would have been filmed as part of the park’s new promotion. This is Disney Parks' second Frozen-themed land, the first opened at Hong Kong Disneyland in 2023. It includes a version of the first Frozen ride that you’ll find at Disney World’s Epcot, but also has other attractions, including a family coaster.

The land will also spotlight one of the newest innovations from Walt Disney Imagineering, a free-roaming Olaf audio-animatronic that I can only imagine would have been something Josh Gad was looking forward to seeing.

I will certainly be keeping Josh Gad and his mother in my thoughts. I hope everything turns out ok for everybody, and the worst thing that comes of this is a postponed Disneyland experience.

Few Disney franchises are quite as big as Frozen, so the news that we’re getting not one, but two more Frozen movies is sure to have a lot of people very excited. Disney certainly has a lot riding on the success of the films, and the rumor was they were paying very well to ensure the core cast was on board. However, it sounds like maybe the Mouse hasn’t been quite as generous as rumored.

Last year, it was reported that Frozen’s main trio of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Josh Gad had all signed deals that were in the realm of $60 million each to appear in both Frozen 3 and 4. ET caught up with Bell ahead of the Actor Awards, which she hosted, and the voice of Anna said that while she’s getting paid well for the sequels, she’s not getting paid that well. Bell explained…

The $60 million number seemed bizarrely high when it was announced. $30 million per film for two movies is a massive up-front number that most live-action stars don’t get these days, as many take their salary on the back end based on a film’s success. Perhaps the $60 million number is the cost for the three stars together, as it would still equal a pretty impressive payday per actor. I hope Jonathan Groff got a decent contract, too.

It’s also possible that the reported number was technically accurate, though it may encompass more than just two movies of work. Being the voice of Anna from Frozen doesn’t mean simply doing work on two films, after all. It could include additional voice work for anything from animated shorts to toys to Frozen theme park attractions. It could be a larger contract designed to make sure that Kristen Bell and the rest of the team are involved with Frozen for the long haul.

Whatever the truth, it’s clear that Kristen Bell and her co-stars are getting paid well to continue with Frozen. It’s only fair considering how much money Frozen has brought to Disney over the years. But again, I really hope Jonathan Groff got a nice deal, too.

As somebody who counts The Martian among my favorite movies of the 21st century, and one of the best sci-fi movies ever, I have certainly been excited about the book-to-screen adaptation of Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary. The trailer for the film has been setting up the audience for an emotional journey, and now that a number of high-profile names in Hollywood have seen the flick, I’m getting even more excited.

The rest of us must still wait a month for the release of Project Hail Mary on the 2026 movie schedule, but it was recently screened for an audience that contained the likes of director Edgar Wright, Josh Gad, and more Hollywood names. Wright took to X to welcome directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller back to live-action movies, and their return is apparently stunning. The Shaun of the Dead director said in part…

Wright went on to praise screenwriter Drew Goddard, stars Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hüller, and more aspects of the film. It sounds like IMAX may be the way to see this one due to the film’s epic scale.

Fans of the book written by Andy Weir have been vocally upset by the marketing for the book-to-screen adaptation of Project Hail Mary, as some feel the trailers give away a major spoiler in the story. However, several of the people who saw the movie had read the book before, and they certainly didn’t seem to feel knowledge of the events spoiled anything. On Instagram, Josh Gad said…

Actor Ken Jeong seemingly hasn’t read the book based on his Instagram comments. However, his wife had, and they both absolutely loved Project Hail Mary. He’s the second person to call the movie a “masterpiece” and the second to focus on the humanity of the story. He said…

Considering that Phil Lord and Chris Miller have made me cry over Spider-Man and LEGOs, I’m fully expecting Project Hail Mary to be an emotional experience. These directors have a nearly spotless track record of greatness, but this may be their best work. Actor Paul Scheer certainly thinks so as he posted to X…

Project Hail Mary was already one of the 2026 movies I was most excited for, but now I’m going to have a hard time waiting for this one to open. My expectations have been raised, but based on this feedback, I certainly expect my expectations to still be met when I sit down in the theater on March 20 to see the movie for myself.

Wonder Man, the new Marvel Cinematic Universe series available with a Disney+ subscription, is one of the least superhero-centered entries in the franchise. And yet, it’s also one of the best pieces of MCU material generated so far. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley are a remarkable pairing, but there are other great performances as well, including a guest appearance by Josh Gad.

Gad appears in the most unique episode of Wonder Man, shot entirely in black and white, with Gad in a lead role playing a version of himself. The actor was apparently very game when Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige offered him the part, though he did have one request. Gad told the L.A. Times…

This is a hilarious, but also completely reasonable request. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is still a massive franchise that a lot of actors clearly want to be part of. Who wouldn’t want to play a superhero if given the chance? So Gad was up for the fun of playing himself. The problem was that if “Josh Gad” exists in the MCU, would that mean Gad couldn’t play a hero or villain in a future movie?

Clearly, the Frozen actor wants to be in the MCU, and he wanted to be sure that playing himself wouldn’t end those chances. It would certainly be annoying if a great role came along, but somebody said Gad wouldn’t be right because he’d already played “himself.”

The question of whether or not actors could play multiple roles in the MCU has been going on for almost as long as the franchise itself. Could an actor who played a small role in one film also play a major character in another one? Kevin Feige has always said multiple roles were possible, and they have happened, but they’ve been mostly minor, until now.

The biggest “recasting” ever will occur in Avengers: Doomsday when Robert Downey Jr., who launched the MCU as Iron Man, appears as Doctor Doom. It will be a very different role. At the same time, the expectation is that the fact that Victor Von Doom looks like Tony Stark is expected to play into the story, and won’t be completely overlooked, the way a future Josh Gad appearance would probably ignore that he looks like "Josh Gad."

So who should Josh Gad play in the MCU? We actually don’t know a lot about what what upcooming Marvel movies are planned after Avengers: Secret Wars. However, we do know the X-Men will become a big part of the next chapter, and there must be a mutant he could play in there somewhere.

We’ve known for quite some time that a new Frozen movie was coming. In fact, we know there are two Frozen movies in development. That said, all we’ve had to talk about as fans for the last couple of years has been a single piece of concept art. However, it looks like the Disney animation machine may be getting ready to wind up, as it appears Josh Gad has begun his work on Frozen 3.

Gad posted an image to Instagram that shows him alongside Frozen franchise lead Jennifer Lee, producer Christina Chen, and Trent Correy, who will co-direct the new film alongside Lee. It looks like this is Gad’s first day recording lines for the new movie, which means Frozen 3 is just that little bit closer.

I’m not expecting a flood of leaks to come out of Jash Gad’s recording session or anything, but the fact that the work is happening likely means that we’ll start to learn more about Frozen 3 at a little faster pace than we have been. If Gad is recording, then his Frozen castmates, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, and Jonathan Groff likely are as well. So are any other voice actors who will be in the new film, including any who may be returning and new characters as well.

We could end up getting casting announcements for any actors being added to Frozen 3, and that might give us some detail about the characters being played and how they may fit into the plot of the new film. As somebody who loves both Frozen movies, I’m excited to see where this franchise is going.

Frozen 3 is a little less than two years away, with a release date of Thanksgiving weekend in 2027. There’s plenty that can happen in that time. As the documentary series on the release of Frozen II showed, animated movies are in a state of constant flux, and the story is always changing. This may be Gad’s first day recording for Frozen 3, but he’ll likely return multiple times as the movie takes shape... which is pretty normal for animated films.

Frozen is clearly important to the future of Disney Animation. Jennifer Lee stepped down from her role as CCO of Walt Disney Animation Studios to take on a role as a franchise manager for Frozen. Considering the first two films have been some of Disney’s most successful, expectations will be high for the next two movies, which are planned. It’s been indicated that Frozen 3 and Frozen 4 will have some sort of connected story, but those details, along with all the others, are still a big question, at least for now.

SPOILER ALERT! This story discusses all eight episodes of the new Marvel series Wonder Man. The entire season is available to stream now with a Disney+ subscription.

There are several highly-anticipated upcoming Marvel movies hitting theaters this year, but thankfully fans don’t have to wait until this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day for their next MCU fix. Wonder Man hit the 2026 TV schedule this week starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Ben Kingsley, and not only was I captivated by its fun meta story and MCU bromance, but I was taken aback by two all-time great cameos — especially one that made brilliant use of Marvel’s Disney connections.

Wonder Man centers on Simon Williams (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), a superpowered actor who’s desperate to win the titular role of the in-series remake of Wonder Man, and Trevor Slattery (Ben Kingsley), who is also up for a part in the movie, but has ulterior motives in helping Simon. Critics praised these performances — and I agree they were great — but I daresay Josh Gad and Joe Pantoliano threatened to steal the show by playing exaggerated versions of themselves.

Josh Gad Brought Big Humor And Huge Stakes To The World Of Wonder Man

Marvel has slipped some amazing cameos into its films over the years (you may have even needed a rewatch to catch all the surprise appearances in Deadpool & Wolverine) but it’s hard to picture many hitting as hard as Josh Gad and “Joey Pants.” This is especially true with Wonder Man falling under the Marvel Spotlight banner, meaning you don’t have to have watched every MCU movie in order to understand the joke.

Josh Gad appears in the series’ fourth chapter, “Doorman,” which is effectively a bottle episode, shown in black-and-white, as we flash back to the events that resulted in “The Doorman Clause” that plagues Simon Williams. Gad plays himself, the life of the party at the height of his Frozen fame, as he frequents the nightclub that employs DeMarr Davis (Byron Bowers). A bartender teases what’s to come when she tells DeMarr at the end of one shift:

The actor ends up having a huge impact on the series’ story, as after DeMarr uses his new, ooze-enabled superpowers to save the club’s patrons from a fire (more on that later), Josh Gad convinces him to become an actor, hilariously brushing off DeMarr’s protestations by saying:

Josh Gad becomes a tragic figure in this alt-Hollywood, ultimately disappearing inside The Doorman when a stunt goes wrong on set. This results in the creation of The Doorman Clause, which makes it all but impossible for superpowered individuals like Simon Williams to get work in Hollywood.

Before things got dark, though, Gad was responsible for one of the most delightful scenes in the whole series.

Josh Gad Singing ‘In Summer’ At A Raucous Nightclub Was Absolutely Unhinged

It would seem Josh Gad was a regular performer during his visits to the club, regaling patrons with songs by the Frozen snowman who likes warm hugs, and I couldn’t get enough of him fully rocking out to “In Summer.” A club remix of the tune pumps over the speakers as the voice of Olaf sings along and works the crowd by shouting things like:

What makes this scene so great is that it’s not exactly portraying this beloved Disney character in his typical family friendly light, especially as the pyrotechnics accompanying J-Gad’s performance started the fire that would ultimately lead to The Doorman’s rise and fall.

His pouring his drink on that guy (pictured above) was also definitely a choice, and I loved it. I mean, what are you even doing if you’re Marvel and you’re not taking advantage of Disney IP like this?

Joe Pantoliano Was A Hilarious Rival For Ben Kingsley’s Trevor

Before Wonder Man even hit Disney+, fans were excited to see what role Joe Pantoliano would have in the MCU series. Despite playing some of the most ruthless villains in entertainment history, he’s a favorite of both fans and fellow actors — well, except for Trevor Slattery.

Ben Kingsley’s character’s disdain for Joey Pants is established early in Episode 2, “Self-Tape,” when the woman sitting next to Trevor on a plane recognizes him from South Shore Hospital and says she loves Pantoliano. This is met with an eyeroll from Trevor and an exhausted, “Yeah, people do.”

We learn soon after that Joey Pantoliano had Trevor’s character killed off of the medical series after three episodes, so you just know things are going to go down when the Wonder Man wannabes are forced to film their audition tapes at Pantoliano’s house.

The Sopranos star is over the top from the jump, showing off his luxury home, complete with skylights for his indoor tree, a shelf of trophies and a spread of delicacies that include “mozz flown in from Hoboken.” He’s so deliciously charming with his microaggressions, praising the art of the audition process before telling Simon:

But Joe Pantoliano takes it a step too far by telling his former co-star that he’s jealous that Trevor is done acting because he can eat what he wants and not worry about the trades. Simon snaps and delivers the most hilarious takedown, saying:

The use of Joe Pantoliano’s full name twice in that rant is everything, and wow, he goes hard at Baby’s Day Out. Simon and Trevor stormed out of the lavish mansion, but that’s not the last we’d see of “Joseph Trousers,” as Ben Kingsley apparently called the actor on set.

Joe Pantoliano’s Cameo Pays Off In Finale Surprise

In the finale, "Yucca Valley," Trevor returns to prison after taking the fall for an explosion caused by Simon in a fit of rage. We see Trevor film his scenes as Wonder Man without a Barnaby, only to learn via time jump to the movie’s premiere that it was none other than Joe Pantoliano who replaced Trevor in the role.

It was a laugh-out-loud reveal, made only funnier when Simon went to break Trevor out of prison and faced a barrage of questions:

• Trevor: So? Who replaced me?
• Simon: Oh, it's not important.
• Trevor: Pierce Brosnan?
• Simon: Let's not get into it.
• Trevor: De Niro?
• Simon: No.
• Trevor: Antonio Banderas? We always get mistaken for each other.

In so many TV shows and movies, cameos can just be throw-away appearances — fan service through face recognition. In Wonder Man’s case, though, I love how seamlessly Josh Gad and Joe Pantoliano fit into the meta storylines and make major contributions to Simon and Trevor’s journeys.

Relive these great performances by streaming all eight episodes of Wonder Man on Disney+.

In Mel Brooks' classic spoof Spaceballs, his character Yogurt jokes that hopefully all the characters will reunite again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. It was a joke at the expense of the endless sequalizing of film that was already a thing in the late 1980s, and yet conversations around an actual sequel to Spaceballs were always there. And now, four decades later, whatever's happening now is happening now.

The reason we know for certain that Spaceballs 2 isn’t just some weird dream is that the principal photography on the film has officially wrapped. Josh Gad posted to Instagram with the news that filming is done. It feels like production had only just started, and Gad himself says that the entire experience has gone by faster than Ridiculous Speed. He said:

From the point that Josh Gad shared a script title page with the actual title blacked out, fans have been looking forward to the new film, and the excitement has only grown the more we’ve learned. The film will see many of the core cast, including Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, and Mel Brooks himself, all return, while also giving us new characters in the form of Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman, who will play the son of his real-life dad.

Gad takes a moment in his post to thank many in the crew as well as the cast for making Spaceballs 2 a great experience, especially the most surprising member of the cast, the long-retired Rick Moranis. Gad wrote:

Rick Moranis’ Dark Helmet in the first Spaceballs became one of the actors signature roles. However, the actor, who has been largely retired for the entirety of the 21st century, has avoided returning to other film franchises that made him a star. This made the fact that he did choose to return to Spaceballs, a surprise, but a welcome one. Check out Josh Gad’s full post below.

What I wouldn’t give for an instant cassette right about now, so I didn’t have to wait for the movie to go through post-production. Spaceballs 2 has no official release date yet, but is expected to open in 2027. I guess now it's time for Spaceballs: The Wrap Party.

The Frozen movies are big business for Disney. At the box office, the two big screen releases – 2013's Frozen and 2019's Frozen II – have earned over $2.7 billion worldwide, and the amount of brand merchandising that has been produced is overwhelming. It's for this reason that the studio is very much committed to making more sequels to the blockbuster hits , and as a big part of that plan, the company has reportedly closed some major deals with stars Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Idina Menzel.

According to The Wrap, Disney has signed deals with the actors to reprise their respective roles in both Frozen 3 and Frozen 4, and the value of those contracts is said to be north of $60 million. It's a lot of money... but can you really imagine Anna, Olaf and Elsa being voiced by anyone else? Their work as part of the deal will begin soon, as Frozen 3 has been in development since 2023 and it is currently scheduled for release on November 24, 2027 (after being delayed a year from 2026).

Jennifer Lee is set to direct Frozen 3 after she stepped down as Chief Creative Officer at Walt Disney Animation Studios last year, though not much is known about the plot of the film. At the end of Frozen II, Anna is crowned as the queen of Arrendale after Elsa decides to live her life in the enchanted forest, but we don't know what is on the horizon for the characters. At D23 Expo 2024, the first concept art for the movie was released, featuring Anna and Elsa on horseback looking at a city in the clouds while a dark figure looms... but further context for the image doesn't really exist.

Beyond their work in the Frozen movies, Kristen Bell, Josh Gad, and Idina Menzel have all kept very busy. Bell's most high-profile work of late has been on the Netflix series Nobody Wants This, which debuted its second season this fall has has been renewed for a third. Gad has recently been hard at work on Spaceballs 2 (which he is starring in and he co-wrote), and Menzel most recently played the lead in the musical Redwood on Broadway from January to May earlier this year.

By the time Frozen 3 is released, it will have been eight years since Frozen II arrived in theaters, but it will be interesting to see if these contracts signed with the franchise stars ends up accelerating development of Frozen 4 (and that may or may not end up having an impact on the story told in the second sequel). In addition to Frozen 3, Walt Disney Animation Studios is also presently developing the fantasy feature Hexed for next year.

Some people dream of being movie stars. Some people dream of working at Disneyland. Josh Gad gets to do both. Over the last several months, Disney Parks has been running a series that sees the actor take on various theme park jobs from Jungle Cruise Skipper to Kilimanjaro Safari tour guide, but on this first day of October, Gad takes on his most chilling challenge: to be a Haunted Mansion caretaker.

In a new Disney Parks video, Gad dons the traditional costume of a Haunted Mansion Cast Member and gets to do something that I‘ve only been able to do when being evacuated from the Haunted Mansion: walk through the attraction itself. He’s clearly having a blast, making plenty of puns that would be perfectly fitting of the Ghost Host himself. Check it out.

The highlight of the video is the back half that sees Gad fully take on his Caretaker role and welcome people to the Haunted Mansion. Many of the guests entering the attraction recognize the actor and are shocked and amazed to see him there, while the actor jokes that nobody will believe them. A real highlight is the mother who points out to her kid, “That’s Olaf.”

Of course, the best Olaf-related moment comes at the end of the video when Gad drops the absolutely perfect Caretaker line from a guy who is also the voice of a talking snowman when he says: “I like cold hugs.” It’s actually a fairly creepy line when you think about it.

The spooky season has actually been going on at most theme parks for well over a month. Disney and Universal largely started Halloween activities in August, but today is October 1, which is the day when rational people begin to celebrate Halloween, making today the perfect day to celebrate the Haunted Mansion.

That said, the video itself is pretty funny because right now Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion looks nothing like it does in this video. When Disneyland starts Halloween Time, the Mansion gets a Nightmare Before Christmas overlay, meaning that this video was filmed sometime over the summer before that transition took place. Of course, a lot of Gad’s jokes wouldn’t be as funny if there was a distinctly Christmas feel surrounding the Mansion as he walked through it.

Who knows where Josh Gad will end up next, but it seems likely he’s not done taking on Disney Parks Cast Member Jobs. Perhaps he’ll become an Imperial interrogator on Rise of the Resistance or drive the Disney World Monorail. Maybe we'll see him sing on Pirates of the Caribbean with John Stamos again. I’ll certainly be keeping my eyes open for him on my next trip to the parks.

Nearly four decades ago, the original Spaceballs made a joke about a potential sequel. Ever since then fans of Mel Brooks’ Star Wars send-up have quietly hoped we might actually get that sequel. Now, thanks to Josh Gad, Spaceballs 2 is a real movie, or at least it will be very soon. That point was driven home earlier this week when the film's table read was revealed. Since then, fans have seemingly been over the moon, especially over the prospect of actor Rick Moranis being in the mix.

Yesterday, an official photo was released of "Spaceballs: The Table Read". The cast of Spaceballs 2 came together to review the film’s final script as production on the movie officially began. The parody has already started, as the picture itself is a clearly intentional reference to a similar photo that was released when Star Wars: The Force Awakens held a table read. Take a look:

It’s a great picture with a lot of fun references. There’s what looks to be a Spaceballs soldier’s helmet on the crate in the middle, next to a laptop, which appears to be how the 99-year-old Mel Brooks, who will be returning, attended the gathering. There’s a pizza in a chair, which indicates that Pizza the Hutt, or some similar character, might be appearing in the sequel.

However, something that has fans absolutely freaking out is that the long-retired Rick Moranis is in the room. Comments on Twitter include…

• in all honesty I’m more excited for Rick Moranis’s return to acting in Spaceballs 2 than anything else. That man deserves the absolute WORLD. - @cosmic__kitty
• there is one important thing to know about me and it is that I FUCK with rick moranis - @RachelLeishman
• Will forever be sad about Shrunk, but also grateful that you were able to bring Rick Moranis back to us here - @exclusivejimmyc
• The world doesn't deserve Rick Moranis to come out of retirement. - @Billydelphia215
• Rick Moranis coming out of retirement to star in 99 year old Mel Brooks-produced sequel…I am seated - @carlsraye
• The excitement to see Rick Moranis in another movie again OMG - @mrbrianrowe

While it had previously been reported that Rick Moranis would be reprising his role as Dark Helmet in the Spaceballs sequel, that fact had not been officially confirmed by the production. So this picture is the official confirmation that, yes, this is actually happening. Fans of Moranis are obviously thrilled, and I can't blame them. The man is an incredible comic talent, and Spaceballs includes one of Moranis' best roles.

It’s been nearly 20 years since we’ve seen Rick Moranis in a new production, save for a brief appearance a couple of years ago in a Mint Mobile commercial with Ryan Reynolds. There had certainly been attempts to get Moranis back on the screen. He was reportedly offered cameos in the newer Ghostbusters movies, but he declined to appear. He was reportedly on board a planned reboot of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, which also would have included Josh Gad, but that project has yet to see the light of day.

Given all of that, it's wonderful to see Rick Moranis is officially returning for Spaceballs 2, and I'm intrigued as to what's planned for the comedically villainous Dark Helmet this time around. The movie will open in theaters in 2027 and, in the meantime, fans can stream the OG film with an HBO Max subscription.

I’m not sure if you heard, but a couple of famous people announced yesterday that they’re getting married. Look, unless you live under a rock or your internet was out all day, you are aware of the news that the ultimate power couple, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, are getting married. A lot of dedicated fans will probably remember exactly where they were when they heard the news for the rest of their lives. I, however, will forever remember where John Stamos and Josh Gad were when they learned the news.

It turns out they were hanging out together, at Disneyland, and they decided to celebrate on Pirates of the Caribbean, along with a bit of Taylor’s own music, and the result, posted to Instagram, is absolutely glorious.

All of social media has been freaking out since yesterday, and thousands of people, including many celebrities, offered their congratulations to Taylor and Travis, but I’m not sure it gets better than this right here. Many people get engaged at Disney Parks, but being serenaded by a couple of famous Disney Adults from the Happiest Place on Earth has to be the next best thing.

Also, can we stop and talk for a second about the fact that John Stamos and Josh Gad just hang out at Disneyland together sometimes? Both of them are pretty famous Disney Adults, so you’re as likely to find either of them there as anyplace else, but I had no idea they were buddies who would go hit rides together just for fun.

While I'm sure they get the VIP treatment when they visit, there's likely still a lot of "normal" stuff, like riding Pirates of the Caribbean, that they do, and I'd love to know what it is. I want to hang out with them. And not just because John Stamos can get me into Club 33. Though having a meal there with both of these guys would be amazing. Like My Dinner with Andre for Disney nerds. I need to find a way to make this happen.

Josh Gad has been busy taking on various Cast member jobs at Disneyland, from Jungle Cruise skipper to Railroad conductor. John Stamos is a frequent Disney collaborator and an absolute superfan. When the two of them are together, it’s like achieving a Disney singularity.

Taylor Swift has been spotted at Disney Parks on more than one occasion, and as a Super Bowl champion, Travis Kelce is no stranger either. His brother Jason Kelce has also taken his family to Walt Disney World.

While Travis and Taylor may not have gotten engaged there, one wonders if we might see a Disney World honeymoon or even a Disney World wedding, in their future. However, no matter what happens on that front, I'll just be happy that Josh Gad and John Stamos learned about their life update while riding Pirates of the Caribbean.

There’s no way around the fact that the 2025 movie schedule has a hell of a hit in store with Wicked: For Good’s November release. Part of the magic making that possible is, of course, the rockstar efforts of director Jon M. Chu and co-lead Ariana Grande, both of whom are well-regarded musical vets. So what could possibly make their reteaming on another song filled adventure even more exciting? How about a Frozen co-star, and the 2017 Oscar winning songwriters behind La La Land? Hyping Chu’s 2028’s adaptation of Oh, The Places You’ll Go, Warner Bros has doubled down on the Dr. Seuss of it all on social media.

Announcing Grande’s casting, alongside Josh “Olaf the Snowman” Gad and the inclusion of musical duo Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, you can see the good news about Oh, The Places You’ll Go in the post below:

Now if that isn’t a team for the ages, I don’t know what is. The Ariana Grande/Josh Gad team should go a long way towards selling audiences on Oh, The Places You’ll Go, and for one big reason. Unlike previous Dr. Seuss adaptations like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Cat in the Hat, or Horton Hears a Who, there isn’t really a rigid narrative in play.

The 1990 children’s book is one that has more of a message than a plotline, which sees its protagonist go on a journey that teaches them to be curious and open to wherever one can go next in life. A staple for graduation gifts of all ages, it’s a positive journey that could very easily involve quirky supporting characters, Oscar-nominated songs, and a colorful landscape of adventure.

Of course, it’s hard to call who’d be the protagonist and who’d be the sidekick here, as Ariana Grande and Josh Gad are equally fit for both roles. We don't know much about the story, although we do know there will be singing; for all we know, Jon M. Chu is encouraging his leads to warm up their voices as we speak.

I know 2028 feels like a long time out, but considering the recent teaser for The Cat in the Hat, Warner Bros. has picked a pretty smart time to hype its Seussian Cinematic Universe. Oh, and the fact that the Bill Hader-led reel of footage is running in the same Superman pre-show package that includes Wicked: For Good’s first trailer probably helps boost this move’s powers as well.

Oh, The Places You’ll Go will arrive at its final cinematic destination on March 17, 2028. Two much closer pictures to look forward to are The Cat in the Hat, which opens on February 27 as part of the 2026 movie calendar, and of course Wicked: For Good – which is set for a much closer release date of November 21.

If you felt a disturbance in the Schwartz yesterday, that was millions of Spaceballs fans losing their minds over the news that Spaceballs 2 has a release window set for 2027 and Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis may even return for the new movie, penned by Josh Gad. But the fun doesn’t stop there, as another actor is reportedly in talks to join the film, and fans have already cast him.

Alongside the news that Pullman and Moranis had reportedly signed on to this sequel came the news that Keke Palmer was on board to play a new character as well. Now THR reports that Lewis Pullman, son of Bill, is in talks to join his father in the sequel. To say fans are on board with the casting of one of the stars of the recent Thunderbolts* movie would be an understatement, and they’ve already cast him as the film’s version of Kylo Ren. Comments include:

• no other option than for lewis to parody ben solo - @balancedpadawan
• BEN SOLO PARODY I USED TO PRAY FOR TIMES LIKE THESE - @theres_a_bea
• If this ends up true and he plays the parody of Ben Solo you’ll never hear me shut up about it - @isacchili
• WELCOME BACK KYLO REN - @hxwkes_
• omg is he gonna be the kylo ren knock off?? if so, i will be obsessed - @anxious_kitty

Once somebody says it, it’s difficult to see anything else. If we assume that Spaceballs 2 is going to take more than a little inspiration from the Star Wars sequel trilogy, then creating a character who is a take on Kylo Ren makes sense. And since that character should be the son of Lone Starr, Bill Pullman’s Han Solo-esque character from the first film, casting his actual son makes all the sense in the world.

Now I’m envisioning Lewis Pullman as an extra winy goth kid throwing a temper tantrum, and I’m already laughing. The Top Gun: Maverick actor won’t just look the part because he’s the son of Bill Pullman either; he would simply be an inspired choice to be a parody of Adam Driver. I am fully on board with this entire idea.

And if the reports of Rick Moranis being back turn out to be accurate, then things could get really exciting. Kylo Ren never got to actually interact with Darth Vader. One can only imagine how hilarious it will be if their parody versions cross paths.

With the film still two years away, there’s a lot that could still happen, but the fact that the sequel is on the way with a fantastic reported cast is glorious. Now we can focus on the important debate of whether it should be called Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money or if they should title it Spaceballs 3: The Search For Spaceballs 2.

Mel Brooks is one of the great comedy geniuses of the 20th century. He has so many fantastic films that it's hard to pick a favorite, but Spaceballs has to be near the top of any list. His Star Wars spoof is so spot on that it even makes fun of franchises and sequels. Well, soon it will be one.

Spaceballs 2 Has The Perfect Announcement Teaser

Josh Gad had previously revealed that he had written a sequel to Spaceballs, but beyond the fact that it existed, what we know about Spaceballs 2, like what it will be about or when we might see it, was limited at best. That just changed as an official Spaceballs 2 announcement just dropped that confirmed the movie is coming and set for a 2027 release. Check out the hilarious announcement above.

The teaser is perfect. The original Spaceballs included a Star Wars-style opening crawl that was as funny as anything else in the movie. This one is focused on poking fun at the absolutely massive number of sequels and reboots that have been released over the last four decades.

Rick Moranis And Bill Pullman Are Set To Return For Spaceballs 2

However, the best part of the Spaceballs 2 news isn't the jokes, it's the news of who will be in the movie. Deadline reports Bill Pullman, who starred in the first film as Lone Starr, will be back, as will Dark Helmet himself, Rick Moranis.

The Rick Moranis return is especially noteworthy, as the actor has been largely retired from acting for quite some time. He did not return for either of the recent Ghostbusters sequels, even though there were apparently attempts to get him back. So it's worth calling out how his return for this sequel is a big deal.

As a huge Rick Moranis fan in general, and an equally big Dark Helmet fan specifically, this has me quite happy. Any attempt to make another Spaceballs would be handicapped from the outset if Moranis wasn't involved. Nobody else is quite as capable of being as funny, even while being covered by a giant metal facemask.

It seems that Josh Gad and Rick Moranis were simply destined to work together at some point. Gad spent several years trying to get a legacy sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids off the ground. There were reports at one time that Moranis would return for the sequel, and while those rumors were never confirmed, the whole project eventually fell apart anyway.

Mel Brooks will also be back in the new Spaceballs. Brooks played two parts in the original film: as the leader of the Spaceballs, President Skroob, and as the Yoda parody, Yogurt. Brooks is confirmed to be playing Yogurt again. No word on if he'll also play Skroob, but considering Skroob ends the original movie with Dark Helmet on the Planet of the Apes, it's at least possible.

Josh Gad may be known for voicing Olaf in the 2013 Disney Animation movie Frozen and playing Elder Arnold Cunningham in The Book of Mormon Broadway musical. However, all great actors have movies they probably wish they could forget. In the case of Gad, he recalls one of his earlier films as the “single worst” movie he’s ever made with the experience being “a waking nightmare.”

In Josh Gad’s memoir In Gad We Trust (via EW), the American actor spoke about getting back to work after his wedding to actress Ida Darvish in 2008. Following the success of his role in the Anne Hathaway rom-com Love & Other Drugs, Gad was ready for his next project to be just as triumphant. Unfortunately, his career went in an unexpected direction when he starred as Bump in the buddy comedy Mardi Gras: Spring Break, with The Wedding Ringer actor calling it the "single worst" movie and “a waking nightmare” to film:

I can imagine how frustrating that must be to get sent pages from the studio head while filming. Talk about being thrown unexpected curveballs. Josh Gad continued to express that “nothing made sense,” with Sony Studios taking over the project leaving the creative team with no say in direction.

Mardi Gras: Spring Break follows the plot of three college friends who head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras, only for their guy time to come to a halt when one friend’s girlfriend decides to tag along. The movie is filled with raunchy escapades and slapstick humor that you’d normally find in an R-rated comedy that deserves its R-rating. But based on Gad’s claims, the road trip movie didn’t hit the mark with himself or the creative team behind it.

The 2011 raunchy comedy was critically panned on Rotten Tomatoes, with critic Brent Simon from Shockya calling it “an unsubtle and roundly unfunny stinker.” With not enough critics reviews to generate a Tomatometer score, audiences gave it a 23%, with many calling it “unfunny” and formulaic to a lot of college comedy buddy movies that have been released. However, Josh Gad had more pressing concerns making this panned movie:

I completely understand the fear of not wanting your career to be defined by one flop. Fortunately, following Mardi Gras: Spring Break, casting director Allison Jones landed Josh Gad his next big break as a correspondent on The Daily Show. The award-winning actor continued to branch out in Broadway, voice acting, television and film roles. He’ll even bring his acting and screenwriting chops to Spaceballs 2, and his love of the original Mel Brooks comedy will come to great use for the new project.

Mardis Gras: Spring Break may be what Josh Gad calls the “single worst” movie he’s worked on, but the buddy comedy in no way, shape, or form was a career-ender for the Florida native. In fact, it was a brief career snag that he rose above to become the prominent performer he’s known as today. Make sure to look at our 2025 movie releases in case Gad’s future projects turn up there.

Frozen fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming years. Last year at D23 it was confirmed that not only was Frozen 3 set for release, but Frozen 4 was on the way as well. Unfortunately for those fans, they’ll be waiting a while for these movies. Frozen 3 won’t be hitting theaters until 2027, but Josh Gad has a solid explanation as to why.

Whether or not we could see Frozen 3 any earlier, Josh Gad doesn’t mind that we won’t because he says everybody involved is taking their time with the project. Appearing on The Spotlight with Jessica Shaw (via People) Gad avoids revealing any specific details about the new movie, but says that the movie’s slow progress is all about making sure the movie lives up to its predecessors. Gad said…

It's understandable why the team behind Frozen 3, especially director by Jennifer Lee, who stepped down as the head of Disney animation to manage the franchise, will want to take its time. Animated movies tend to go through a lot of changes during production. We've heard some stories about movies like Toy Story 4 going through massive changes to find the right story. The Into the Unknown documentary showed how parts of Frozen II didn't come together until late in the process. Disney wants to make sure Frozen III has that same chance to find itself.

Frozen 3 certainly has a lot to live up to. The first film was the highest-grossing animated movie ever made when it was released. It held the title until Frozen 2 came out and overtook it. The franchise has become an absolute phenomenon for Disney, selling an incredible amount of Anna, Elsa, and Olaf merch. There’s so much Frozen at Walt Disney World that you could spend a day just doing that.

Back when Frozen 3 and Zootopia 2 were officially confirmed, the expectation was that, due to the already set release dates for upcoming Disney movies, one of them would be released in 2025, and the other would come out a year later. Zootopia 2 was later set for Disney Animation’s 2025 release date, but at D23 last August Jennifer Lee confirmed Frozen 3 for 2027, with an as-yet-unnamed original Disney animation project taking the 2026 release date.

There are certainly plenty of ways to enjoy Frozen over the next few years while you’re waiting for Frozen 3 to come out. With a Disney+ subscription, you can rewatch the first two movies, along with a couple of animated shorts and TV specials, countless times. You can also travel to Hong Kong Disneyland and experience the World of Frozen land which opened last year. Another version of the land will open at Disneyland Paris in 2026.

In one of the best parody movies, Spaceballs, the wise sage Yogurt says we’ll all meet again for Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money. Well, it’s been over 35 years since the space opera spoof first made us laugh, and we’re still waiting to see the hilarious cast of characters again. As Josh Gad works on a Spaceballs sequel, he recalls the funny story of pitching the new movie to creator Mel Brooks – which involves decades of Star Wars history and the “greatest compliment” from him.

The closest we’ve ever gotten to a Spaceballs continuation was in G4’s short-lived Spaceballs: The Animated Series, which was more of a retelling of the movie than a sequel. The second Spaceballs that never was first was thought of in 2013 with Dark Helmet’s Rick Moranis saying he and Mel Brooks were unable to come up with a working deal for it. Two years later, Brooks wanted to make a Spaceballs 2 that would start filming after Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but it still never happened.

Finally after talks with MGM, a Spaceballs sequel is a-go with Josh Gad starring, co-producing, and co-writing the script. In a podcast episode of Let’s Talk Off Camera with Kelly Ripa, the Frozen actor spoke about when he starred on the FX series The Comedians, he met his “idol” Mel Brooks when he came on as a guest star. Being such a fan of one of the best ‘80s movies, Gad shared a funny story of pitching his idea to Brooks:

For the record, Josh Gad does a scarily spot-on impression of Mel Brooks in the podcast episode! To tell Gad he’s got his “finger on the pulse” of the anticipated sequel must have been a real honor to receive from the man responsible for shaping the comedy film genre. It’s clear that The Wedding Ringer actor truly is a Spaceballs fan for constructing a 40-minute pitch of what he envisioned a sequel would be like. As the best movies from the Star Wars franchise have expanded ever since the 1987 classic, there’s so much more to spoof for a new movie that could come from the prequels, the J.J. Abrams sequels, and maybe even the TV shows. For Brooks to place his trust in Gad to take care of his comedy masterpiece truly is a genuine compliment.

Josh Gad’s latest update about Spaceballs 2 came from November when he said the draft was done and those who read the script were “blown away.” The Tony nominee talked more about his excitement about the highly-anticipated sequel and what we can expect from it, saying,

News like that makes the Spaceballs fan in me incredibly excited. Not only are we going to get some nostalgia feels for the spoof comedy it originated from but for the creator behind some of the best spoofs in film history. Mel Brooks movies have a way of relating to audiences by bringing back absurd moments found in our favorite movies, political issues, and life in general. I’m really curious what a modern sequel of the classic sci-fi comedy would look like and what would be spoofed this time around.

So far what we know about the sci-fi movie spoof is that Mel Brooks plans to produce with Josh Gad. Strays director Josh Greenbaum will be directing the second Spaceballs film, and he actually has a Star Wars connection of his own: He profiled sound designers of the franchise in the documentary short Behind the Mac: Skywalker Sound, which clearly means he has a passion for the George Lucas film series as well. With no word yet on the plot, I’d like to believe we’ll see some jokes surrounding the recent Star Wars films. Hopefully something in there about a certain Jedi’s hatred of sand, if we’re lucky.

With Gad being such a superfan of the original movie, I’m confident he’ll wow audiences with the continuation just like Brooks wowed him with his parody movie. Until we get sequel release date news, you can watch the movie that started it all on your AMC+ subscription.

Almost every Mel Brooks movie is hilarious, but the comedian’s greatest work is probably his Star Wars parody, Spaceballs. Unfortunately, despite a joke in the movie about a sequel, the biggest way the 1987 film would end up different from Star Wars is that no sequel would come in the short term. But Josh Gad is now attached to a sequel, and he just provided and update that should get fans excited.

Last summer, Josh Gad first teased that he had co-written a script for a Spaceballs sequel. Beyond that, details about Spaceballs 2 have been scarce. However, while speaking with Forbes, Gad confirmed that the script for the movie is complete. Not only that, but he also revealed what the reactions have been like from those who've been able to feast their eyes on the screenplay:

Considering that the Frozen alum makes reference to the film “Prophesied by Yogurt” one has to wonder if the movie will actually be called Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money, considering that was what Mel Brooks' character, Yogurt, calls the sequel in the original movie. Alternatively, Rick Moranis had previously suggested that he thought the sequel should be called Spaceballs III: The Search For Spaceballs II.

Whatever the movie was called, Brooks previously recalled the idea of making a sequel surfacing almost as soon as the original film came out. Yet, ultimately, nothing ever came of it. Interestingly, the news that SB2 was being written came after Josh Gad appeared in another Mel Brooks revival, History of the World Part Two, a limited series that's available with a Hulu subscription.

As we understand it, Gad is set to star in the new film, with Mel Brooks acting as producer. Having said that, it still doesn’t look like the film has officially been greenlit. In addition, it's been reported that Josh Greenbaum will direct the long-awaited comedy. Greenbaum is known for directing the comedy films Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar and Strays.

While Spaceballs 2 may still be in the early days of conception, it certainly sounds like, from Josh Gad’s point of view, the film is honestly and truly making progress. As a fan of the classic sci-fi romp, I’m certainly excited to see the new movie, whatever it ends up looking like.

The idea of having roommates has never been more fun thanks to FOX’s comedy series, New Girl. Even though it’s been over and done with for years, it remains one of the most rewatchable TV shows ever. Aside from hitting play on the hilarious sitcom for all the great bits in the loft, it’s also a blast for all the major actors who guest-starred over the years. While there are way too many for this list to hold, we’ve compiled some of the biggest names that appeared on the show.

Jamie Lee Curtis

Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis guest starred as the mother of Zooey Deschanel’s Jess Day in the Season 2 episode, “Parents.” Curtis was a great pick to match the quirky spirit of the sitcom’s leading character, and she returned to the series five more times after her initial debut on the series in Season 2.

Taylor Swift

When one thinks of Taylor Swift, sure, “actor” isn’t the first title that comes to mind, but over the years the phenomenon of a singer/songwriter has racked up numerous acting credits in projects like The Lorax, Cats and Amsterdam along. Oh, and what about all those epic Taylor Swift music videos? Anyways, Swift made an appearance in the Season 2 finale of New Girl when Cece is getting married to Shivrang. At the altar, the groom calls off the wedding to say that he wants to marry Swift’s character of Elaine instead.

Prince

One of the most memorable moments in New Girl has to be when the cast is invited to go to a party at Prince’s house… and they actually meet Prince. The Season 3 episode came about thanks to the iconic artist expressing interest in appearing in the show as a fan of the comedy. There’s nothing like that scene when Nick and Jess have a freakout when he appears.

Tiffany Haddish

Girls Trip actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish had a small role in the Season 3 episode “Exes” as a date of Damen Wayans Jr’s Coach. She is part of the plotline of Schmidt deciding to get his own apartment and encouraging Winston and Coach to use the place whenever they like for their hookups. In the scene, all three of them have used it at once and it freaks out Haddish’s character of Leslie.

Rob Reiner

All In The Family’s Rob Reiner returned to the sitcom fold as Jess Day’s dad, Bob, in multiple episodes of New Girl. The beloved actor (and director of classics like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, This Is Spinal Tap and Stand By Me) was in eleven total episodes of the series, appearing in almost every season of the show.

Lisa Bonet

The Cosby Show’s Lisa Bonet guest starred in the Season 4 episode “Teachers” as an education guru named Brenda Brown. Jess and Coach meet the character while attending together. She calls Coach out for his attitude during the presentation that causes him to stop being Jess’s “buffer” while she tries to ignore her feelings for a British teacher she’s crushing on at her school.

Kaitlin Olson

It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson (who is back for Season 17 of the comedy) guest starred in New Girl for two episodes in Season 4. She plays Bob Day’s much younger fiancée, who happened to be the high school rival of Jess and Cece back in the day.

Josh Gad

The Book of Mormon and Frozen’s beloved snowman voice actor Josh Gad guest starred in three separate episodes of New Girl (in Season 2, 3 and 4) as a delivery man named Bearclaw who falls head over heels with Jess. He first appears in the episode “Katie” as a blind date gone wrong before also being in “Birthday” and “Walk of Shame.”

Dermot Mulroney

My Best Friend’s Wedding actor Dermot Mulroney is “Fancyman” in New Girl. The actor appeared as a guest star in eight episodes of the show throughout its run after becoming a favorite in Season 1. In the two part episode “Fancyman,” he is introduced as the wealthy father of one of Jess’s students who she strikes up a romance with.

Olivia Rodrigo

Yes, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress turned massive pop star Olivia Rodrigo was on New Girl, but it was before reaching mega-stardom. In the Season 6 episode “Young Adult,” Rodrigo plays one of the students in Jess’s school who becomes a huge fan of Nick Miller’s novel The Pepperwood Chronicles. In an effort for her students (including Rodrigo’s character of Terrinea) to like her better, Jess sets up a meeting between a few of the students and Nick.

Megan Fox

In Season 5 of New Girl, Zooey Deschanel was pregnant in real life and since that was not in the cards yet for Jess Day, the decision was made to have her character leave for a while on Jury Duty while Deschanel went on maternity leave. The creators decided to bring in Megan Fox’s Reagan to take Jess’s place and she ended up being part of 15 episodes of the series. Fox is of course also known for being in the Transformers movies, Jennifer’s Body and the live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Alan Ritchson

Before Alan Ritchson starred in one of the best Amazon Prime shows, Reacher, the actor had a memorable guest spot on New Girl in the episode “Micro”. In the Season 4 episode, Ritchson used his comedic chops as a guy Jess is seeing who she struggles with getting past the fact that Ritchson’s Matt has a micro penis.

Henry Winkler

Happy Days and Barry actor Henry Winkler appeared in New Girl (alongside the incredible Julie Hagerty and Taran Killam) in the Season 5 episode “What About Fred.” In the episode, Jess is dating a guy named Fred (Killam), who she finds very boring, but falls for spending time with his charismatic parents Winkler and Hagerty’s Flip and Nancy.

Parker Posey

Parker Posey, aka the “Queen of the Indies,” especially during the best movies of the 1990s, had a great guest appearance in New Girl during the Season 2 episode “Re-Launch.” Schmidt is having a re-branding party for himself and Posey plays a dishevelled shot girl who was not as advertised.

John Cho

Star Trek’s John Cho appeared on New Girl for the Season 5 episode “Jury Duty.” Jess tries to get out of getting on a case for a chance to be acting principal. She asks her friends to help, but fails miserably in front of Cho’s character, who ends up being the man questioning her for the case after they initially have a flirty meet-cute.

Adam Brody

The OC and Nobody Wants This’s Adam Brody was one of Jess’s ex-boyfriend’s, Berkley, in the Season 3 episode, “Exes.” In the episode, Jess tries to prove to Nick that exes can still be friends by introducing him to Berkley, but she’s proved wrong when she finds out his true intentions.

Quinta Brunson

Before Quinta Brunson was the Emmy-winning creator and star of the hit ABC comedy, Abbott Elementary, she had a brief role in New Girl, in the Season 7 episode “Mario.” When Nick is trying to propose to Jess, she unexpectedly adopts a dog, throwing off his plans. Brunson plays a restaurant host that Nick speaks to on the phone as the plans shift.

Stephen Amell

Arrow star Stephen Amell, who played the Green Arrow for eight seasons on The CW, was on New Girl for a couple of episodes in Season 1. He played Cece’s jerk boyfriend Kyle in “The 23rd” and “Valentine’s Day.” Cece ends things with Kyle in the latter episode after realizing she has feelings for Schmidt.

Jessica Biel

7th Heaven and The Sinner actress Jessica Biel stopped by New Girl for the Season 4 premiere “The Last Wedding.” When the gang goes to yet another wedding, Biel plays a single woman who ends up competing with Jess to earn the affection of its best man (played by Reid Scott).

Justin Long

Justin Long had a memorable guest star arc on the first season of New Girl. He plays Paul Genzlinger, a music teacher co-worker of Jess’s whom she starts dating in time for the show’s first Thanksgiving episode. Paul is often thought of as a male version of Jess. After the couple date for about a month and breakup, Long made a re-appearance in Season 4’s “Walk Of Shame.”

Linda Cardellini

New Girl fans got to meet Jess’s sister, Abby Day, in Season 3 through Linda Cardellini’s three-episode arc. The Dead To Me actress plays Jess’s troublemaker older sibling, who is just about completely opposite to the sitcom’s leading actress. Jess is constantly embarrassed by Abby’s behavior when she comes to stay in the loft after Jess saves her from prison.

Alexandra Daddario

Baywatch and The White Lotus’ Alexandra Daddario played one of the neighbors to the New Girl gang in two episodes of the series. Daddario’s Michelle is deemed as one of the “hot” new neighbors that Schmidt, Winston, Coach scramble to impress after their first meeting left something to be desired. Daddario appears in Season 3’s “Mars Landing” and Season 4’s “Goldmine.”

Andy Samberg

For quite a few years, New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine were both big comedies airing on FOX at the same time. So in Season 6, the networks decided to crossover the comedies with a special New York episode for New Girl. While the friends are in the Big Apple, Jess gets some help from Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta and the other cast. (The cast of New Girl was also on an episode of B99 called “The Night Shift” that aired the same week in 2016).

Peter Gallagher

The OC’s Peter Gallagher was in multiple episodes of New Girl as Schmidt’s father, Gavin. The vineyard owner first appears in the Season 5 episode “D-Day” when Jess is assisting Schmidt with wedding preparations. Gallagher, who has also been in famous movies like American Beauty and While You Were Sleeping, was a great fit to play Schmidt’s absentee dad.

Randall Park

Before Randall Park became the star of Fresh Off The Boat, Always Be My Maybe and WandaVision, he was briefly in a Season 1 episode of New Girl as an employee at a phone company (with frosted tips), who makes fun of Nick for his crazy low credit score.

Natasha Lyonne

Natasha Lyonne is a famous TV actress for her roles in Orange is the New Black, Russian Doll and Poker Face. Prior to those roles, she had a small role in New Girl’s third episode ever, “Wedding.” She played Gretchen Nelson, an acquaintance of Schmidt, who he ends up sleeping with at every wedding they both attend even though he claims he cannot stand her.

Dylan O'Brien

Teen Wolf star Dylan O’Brien plays the guy Jess Day lost her virginity to on the night of her prom back when she was in high school. In the episode “Virgins” from Season 2, Jess runs into him many years after their first meeting, but what could have been a sexual fantasy turns into an embarrassing moment for the two of them.

Brenda Song

The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody actress Brenda Song was in a few episodes in Season 2 (and one in Season 3) as Daisy, a love interest for Winston. It’s a short-lived romance for Winston, but Song is a guest star in what we consider to be No. 1 of the best New Girl episodes, “Cooler.”

Joey King

Before Joey King was the star of Netflix’s The Kissing Booth movies or the numerous 2024 movies she’s been in like A Family Affair, Uglies and Despicable Me 4, she was a popular child actor who was in Ramona & Beezus with Selena Gomez or the Taylor Swift music video “Mean.” She was also in a Season 1 episode of New Girl called “Bully” as one of Jess’s students.

Carla Gugino

Carla Gugino, known for the Spy Kids movies and being in multiple Mike Flanagan horror projects was in three 2012 episodes of New Girl as Schmidt’s new boss, Emma. In the first episode Gugino stars in “Menzies,” Schmidt gets into a sexual contract with her that doesn’t go as planned.

Nick Kroll

The very funny Nick Kroll is known for starring in The League, along with creating the Kroll Show and Netflix’s Big Mouth. In Season 2’s “Chicago,” where the gang goes to Nick’s hometown for his father’s funeral, Kroll plays one of Nick Miller’s brothers, alongside Bill Burr! You can tell Kroll and Burr had tons of fun with the Chicago accent bringing some levity to a rather emotional New Girl episode.

Fred Armisen

Saturday Night Live favorite (who was behind some of SNL's funniest recurring characters) and Portlandia lead Fred Armisen had a brief role in New Girl for the season five episode “No Girl.” While Jess is at jury duty, the gang rent out her room to random people, and Armisen plays a guy named Brandon. His short time there made a huge impression because of how funny he is with the guys. Remember when he read Schmidt his romance writing or dressed up like Jess at one point?

Josh Gad has played several memorable characters in his career but it seems more than likely that he will forever mostly be known as the voice of the lovable snowman Olaf in Disney’s Frozen movies. Taking the job in one of the best animated Disney movies was clearly one of the great moves of the actor’s career, but he calls one decision he made with Olaf a “big mistake.”

A TikTok of Josh Gad at a recent Fan Expo event is currently going viral where the actor reveals that he now wishes he hadn’t given Olaf his voice. That’s not to say that he wishes he had turned down the role. Instead, Gad means he wishes he created a different voice for Olaf because the fact that the snowman just sounds like his normal voice means that everybody recognizes him wherever he goes. He said…

There are certainly upsides to being a celebrity. Josh Gad gets the VIP treatment at Disneyland and being recognized probably feels really good a lot of the time. Of course, sometimes you just want to go grocery shopping and not have to talk to every small child you meet. Not all celebrities love being recognized all the time. Many actors go out in disguise to prevent being noticed. That's not necessarily too hard when you're trying to hide your famous face, but if you have a distinctive voice, as Josh Gad certainly does, that's much harder to hide.

If Gad had created a different voice for Olaf then he could use his own voice and not be recognized for it. Certainly, Josh Gad has done his share of live-action movies and would still be recognized now and then, but likely not nearly as often as he apparently is now. Ultimately the actor says he used his own voice because people tell him it's distinctive and so he wanted to use it because people seem to like it. Check out his full comments below.

Unfortunately, Josh Gad will just have to get used to kids recognizing his voice, because Olaf isn’t going anywhere. Frozen 3 is set for release in 2027 and we know a fourth Frozen film is also in development. This means that entirely new Frozen fans will continue to be made over the next several years. Combined with Gad’s voice appearing in Disney theme parks and various other places where Olaf is needed, he’ll need to get used to getting shocked looks from kids all over the world.

Hollywood sadly lost another beloved legend this week, as Star Wars and Field of Dreams vet James Earl Jones died at 93. With a career that kicked off on the theater stage in the 1950s before his film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s excellent satire Dr. Strangelove, Jones was a prolific and dedicated talent who worked with some of the best in the business, and many of his former co-stars and longtime fans paid tribute following his death.

As one of the relative few EGOT-earning celebrities out there, James Earl Jones has been an inspirational force to plenty of actors young and old within the entertainment industry, and judging by the outpouring of love and appreciation, it’s clear his impact was widespread and likely won’t be fading away anytime soon. (Darth Vader, he was not.) Let's look at some of the loving messages shared on social media.

Mark Hamill

Arguably the most famous of all of his roles, James Earl Jones voiced all-time great movie villain Darth Vader across several Star Wars films and more (sometimes aided by tech wizardry). And while he wasn't the actual physical performer under Vader's helmet, the actor still made quite an impact on his younger co-star Mark Hamill, who shared the following message:

To be sure, Mark Hamill definitely wasn't the only Star Wars vet who shared the love.

Billy Dee Williams

Having starred as Lando Calrissian across three Star Wars films, Billy Dee Williams is a beloved sci-fi icon who was lucky enough to call James Earl Jones a friend. Here's how he paid his respects via Instagram:

That booming voice was known for more than just Darth Vader, of course, with millions of Disney fanatics out there having long adored him for voicing The Lion King's Mufasa.

George Lucas

The spearheader behind all things Star Wars, at least in the early years before Disney took over, George Lucas helped turn Jones into a globally renowned superstar, even if the actor wasn't initially credited for his voicework as Darth Vader. (That came later.) Here's the filmmaker's statement, as shared on the Star Wars Instagram:

True to his words, many of James Earl Jones' most effective roles, even the villainous and scary ones — The Sandlot's Mr. Mertle among them — were made all the more effective because of the humanity that remained intact behind the performances.

Kevin Costner

Outside of the world of Star Wars, one of James Earl Jones' best movies was a feel-good baseball flick that everyone loves. No, I'm not talking about The Sandlot again, but rather 1989's Field of Dreams, co-starring Kevin Costner, who shared his own tribute to the late legend.

Sure, it's possible that another actor could have stepped into the role of Terence Mann and made it work opposite Costner's Ray Kinsella, but it wouldn't have been the grand slam performance that James Earl Jones delivered to the heartwarming drama.

Debbie Allen

The always wonderful Debbie Allen, who'd previously cast James Earl Jones in her Broadway revival of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, took to Instagram to share her own tribute to the late, great actor.

The EGOT status was already a sign of his GOAT nature, but having Debbie Allen say it only solidifies the notion.

Octavia Spencer, Steve Toussaint, Josh Gad And More

There are probably too many celebs paying tribute to James Earl Jones to provide a comprehensive rundown of all the kind words being shared in his name, here's a smattering of R.I.P. posts from his adoring fans and occasional co-stars.

• Jurnee Smollett: Today we lost a giant. James Earl Jones was more than a legendary actor - he was a voice that carried strength, dignity, and grace. From his iconic roles to his profound impact on the arts, he paved the way for so many of us. His legacy will continue to inspire generations. Rest in power, King 🖤 #JamesEarlJones
• Octavia Spencer: I’m incredibly saddened to learn of #JamesEarlJones’ passing today. Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever. His voice and talent will be remembered always. Sending love to his family, friends and countless fans in all the galaxies, far, far away. 🤍🕊️
• Michael Beach: I got to work with Mr. James Earl Jones 3 times. The first time I was only out of college for a few years and it was on his show Gabriel’s Fire. The last time was as his son and #robertduvall nephew in a film called #afamilything … I felt nervous and lucky everyday on set with two super actors!…I knew him as a quiet and kind man. But he was a giant to me in many ways and each time I was in his presence I just felt like I was learning and clearly making great career choices!…Thank you Mr. Jones! Respect and appreciation to you and condolences to your family. #ripjamesearljones #aclassic #alegend #moviedad
• Jason Alexander: James Earl Jones was as powerful and profound as he was gentle and grace-filled. His voice could command or move men to tears. His work, all those amazing characters, will remain in my heart and memory all my days. I knew him very briefly and he was everything you’d hoped he would be. May he rest well. #RIPJamesEarlJones

Gabriel's Fire isn't a movie that often comes up when discussing Jones' biggest hits, but it obviously holds a special place in The Perfect Couple star Michael Beach's heart. And some of the actor's other fan-faves like Coming to America and Claudine get namechecked by Josh Gad and House of the Dragon's Steve Toussaint in the posts below:

• Josh Gad: Shattered. There are icons and then there is this man. How do you remember someone who gave us some of the greatest stage and screen performances of all time? For so many of us, you defined our childhoods from Star Wars to Lion King, from Field of Dreams to The Sandlot, from Coming to America to Dr. Strangelove. Thank you James for giving your life to art and filling our lifetimes with some of the best performances of any resume ever. It was an honor to know you and and an even bigger honor to get perform in a theater with your namesake. 💔 #ripjamesearljones
• Omar Epps: Thank you for gifting us with dignity, grace, and resilience. A peaceful warrior who inspired many by exemplifying truths. Though your smile was disarming, the strength of your presence was felt by any who had a chance to share space with you. Being one of those fortune few, I salute you for having persevered, and flourished through it all. Blessings to your family, and may you dance with the angels now!🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾#RIPJamesEarlJones
• Steve Toussaint: So, just heard the news of this master's passing. What a legend. What a colossus! What a voice! Obviously there was that "Star Wars" thing he did, but, there was also "Great White Hope", there was "Claudine", there was "Field Of Dreams"; I could go on... I won't. Was lucky enough to meet him very briefly backstage after he performed in "Cat On A Hot Tin Roof" as Big Daddy. A kind and charming man, he made my year! #ripjamesearljones

While there will no doubt be another actor who attempts the Darth Vader voice for upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows, there will never be another Hollywood icon quite like James Earl Jones, from his persona to his acting ability to his unmistakable voice. It's been a great ride.

We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of James Earl Jones during their time of mourning.

Disney’s best live-action remakes have been so successful for the studio that it’s a question of when, not if, your favorite animated Disney movie will get the live-action treatment. Considering how popular Frozen and Frozen II were the first time around, they were the highest-grossing animated movies ever made until Inside Out 2 recently broke that record, it’s a shock that a live-action adaptation hasn’t been announced already.

That announcement could honestly come any day now because Anya Taylor-Joy has expressed interest in playing a live-action version of Elsa. Needless to say, this idea broke the internet, because she certainly does look the part. She also excited the original Frozen cast, as Josh Gad responded to the idea on Threads, indicating he wants to be part of the eventual live-action film, but not as Olaf. Gad said…

Clearly, if Anya Taylor-Joy leads a live-action Frozen simply reprising his role as Olaf won’t be good enough for Josh Gad. Olaf would obviously be a CGI character in such a movie, but Gad seemingly wants to get on set to act opposite Taylor-Joy, so he’s throwing his hat in the ring to play Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, the movie’s villain.

While Josh Gad certainly doesn’t look like Hans in the same way that Anya Taylor-Joy looks like Elsa, he would be an excellent Disney villain. He'd honestly be pretty good in such a role. Hans is charismatic and fun, but secretly underhanded. Gad would be great at all of that. More importantly, playing Hans would give him more scenes with Anya Taylor-Joy than he’d get if he played Kristoff.

Since we know that a live-action Moana movie is on the way, Disney certainly has no issue giving even some of its newest animated films the live-action treatment. It’s been rumored that a live-action Frozen movie is among the planned upcoming Disney live-action remakes, but nothing has ever been officially announced.

If there have been discussions about the project at the studio, it’s difficult to imagine that Anya Taylor-Joy wasn’t already on a casting wish list. She’s an incredible actress, she looks the part already, and we know she can sing. Taylor-Joy performed a haunting rendition of “Downtown” in One Night in Soho. I think we'd all love to hear what she can do with "Let it Go."

The only negative is that Taylor-Joy is almost 30, and Elsa is supposed to be much younger. Still, all that really means is that Disney needs to not dawdle and get this movie made sooner rather than later.

One movie that we know is coming is Frozen 3. That movie, which will be broken into two parts, isn’t set to debut until 2027. There’s a pretty good chance we could see a live-action Frozen before the third animated film even arrives.

It has been a while since Hollywood has put out a good spoof movie, but the genre appears to be launching a comeback with the announcement of upcoming titles like Spaceballs 2. A follow-up to one of the greatest parody movies of all time (and, not to mention, one of the most celebrated films by Mel Brooks, who previously teased the idea of a Spaceballs sequel in 2015), is now in development at Amazon MGM Studios.

Will the Schwartz also be strong with this upcoming sci-fi movie? Well, we still have a while before we can make that judgment. So before we try to enter ludicrous speed, let’s take things slow and discuss the things that we do know about Spaceballs 2 so far.

What Is The Spaceballs 2 Release Date?

There is no confirmed release date for Spaceballs 2. A spot alongside the upcoming 2024 movies might be unlikely, but we can see it appearing on the upcoming 2025 movie schedule if it goes into production soon enough. If only the gag from the original Spaceballs about “instant cassettes” were real, we might be able to watch the movie already.

The Spaceballs 2 Cast

As of February 2024, the only known Spaceballs 2 cast member is Josh Gad, whose character has yet to be revealed. The actor's last attempt to revive a property starring Rick Moranis was a defunct follow-up to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movies. The comedy is also the Tony-nominated Book of Mormon star's second collaboration with Mel Brooks after appearing in the History of the World Part II cast.

According to a profile story by The Hollywood Reporter, Ariana Grande (who received a 2025 Academy Award nomination for her performance in Wicked) has been offered a role in Spaceballs 2. However, the pop star has yet to confirm if she is taking any of the major acting gigs she has been approached as of late.

What Spaceballs 2 Is About

As Spaceballs 2 is still in the earlier stages, we cannot report on any details about the story at this point. However, being a sequel to a comedy that famously pokes fun at the Star Wars movies, we might be able to infer that it will take aim at the more recent installments of Lucasfilm’s groundbreaking franchise set in a galaxy far, far away.

The original Spaceballs from 1987 is heavily inspired by George Lucas’ 1977 sci-fi movie masterpiece but with many distinct and uproariously silly differences — including a half-man, half-dog creature, laser-emitting rings, and a metaphysical force holding the universe together called the Schwartz. Bill Pullman and John Candy star as for-hire pilots Lone Starr and Barf, who are enlisted to rescue Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), and her robotic courtier, Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers), from the ruthless Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and President Skroob (Mel Brooks). Brooks also appears as a master Schwartz-wielder named Yogurt and his frequent collaborator Dom DeLuise provides the voice of galactic crime boss Pizza the Hut.

Josh Greenbaum Is Directing Spaceballs 2

Similar to when George Lucas handed directorial duties off to Irvin Kershner and Richard Marquand for the latter installments of his original Star Wars trilogy, Spaceballs director Mel Brooks will be succeeded by someone new to handle the follow-up. Set to helm Spaceballs 2 is Josh Greenbaum, who actually has a connection to Star Wars, having directed a short documentary profiling sound designers who have worked on the franchise called Behind the Mac: Skywalker Sound.

In 2017, Greenbaum made two feature-length documentaries both exclusively available with a Hulu subscription — Becoming Bond and Too Funny to Fail: The Life and Death of the Dana Carvey Show — before making his fictional feature debut with the hilarious Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar in 2021. He more recently directed 2023’s Strays, which features a funny Josh Gad cameo, and his upcoming Netflix movie — a documentary about Will Ferrell and Harper Steele called Will & Harper — premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2024.

Mel Brooks Is Producing Spaceballs 2 With Josh Gad

While Mel Brooks may not be in the director’s chair this time, the 98-year-old comedy legend is still involved with the sequel as a producer and will, hopefully, be coming back as Yogurt or Skroob or both! Also signed on as a producer is Gad, who also co-wrote the Spaceballs 2 screenplay, which he previously teased in an Instagram post from early June 2024. He told Forbes the following November that the script is finished and that "everybody who’s read it has been blown away."

Gad’s Spaceballs 2 co-writers are Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez, who also have their own connection to the very franchise they are poking fun at, having written the new Star Wars TV show, Star Wars LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy, which became available with a Disney+ subscription in September 2024. The duo previously worked with Gad as writers for 1600 Penn and Apple TV+’s Central Park and are also known for penning Pokémon: Detective Pikachu in 2019 and 2023’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

How To Watch The Original Spaceballs

Spaceballs 2 is a sequel to a film spoofing a franchise that requires you to watch every previous installment to understand what is going on. That being said, it would probably be a good idea to watch the original beforehand, which can be done with an MGM+ subscription or an AMC+ subscription.

It should be noted, however, that this new film will actually be the second follow-up to Spaceballs. An animated spin-off series aired on G4 in 2008, for which Brooks’ returned as co-creator with Thomas Meehan and as the voice of President Skroob and Yogurt, along with Zuniga as Vespa, Joan Rivers as Dot, and Dom DeLuise as Pizza the Hut. Despite that, the show was not very well received by critics or fans, but anyone interested in checking it out can purchase episodes on Amazon.

• Stream Spaceballs on Amazon Prime
• Buy Spaceballs on Blu-ray on Amazon
• Buy Spaceballs: The Animated Series on Amazon

Ya know, a perfect official title for the sequel would be Spaceballs: The Schwartz Awakens but I can see a lot of fans being disappointed if it does not uphold Yogurt’s premonition that he and Lone Starr will reunite in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. We shall find out what Brooks, Gad, and co. end up calling the film soon enough but, until then, be sure to check back here for updates.

Some time ago, in theaters not too far from you, Spaceballs sent up the Star Wars legacy as only comedy legend Mel Brooks could. And as the man behind History of the World Part I was known to do from time to time, he joked about how one of the best ‘80s movies would have a pre-planned, but unrealized sequel. 37 years later, and with rumors of a Josh Gad-involved sequel floating around, it sounds like The Schwartz is going to hit the fans. Spaceballs 2 is in development, and I’m willing to bet fans have the same question as me in mind. 

What’s New With Spaceballs 2?

Let’s start with what we do know. Which, I’m sorry to say, doesn’t specify if this new film is going to be Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money or Rick Moranis’ inventive sequel pitch, Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II. However, the good news reported by Variety is that Josh Gad is starring in this untitled mystery plot, and he pretty much confirmed it in this social media post: 

What’s more, the writing team of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem’s Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez will be collaborating with the Frozen star on the script. Topping this cinematic sundae are the further details that Mel Brooks will be producing, and Barb and Star go to Vista del Mar director Josh Greenbaum will be helming the Amazon MGM Studios production. 

Now that we’ve gotten the short, short version of what we know out of the way, it’s time to discuss the huge Spaceballs 2 question we’re all pondering right now. And no, it’s not, ‘Where can I stream Spaceballs?’, as that answer is clearly through the Instant Video library that’s included with a Max subscription. 

The Spaceballs 2 Question We’re All Thinking About

The big question at the heart of this Spaceballs 2 endeavor is, of course, will the surviving cast return for this new sequel? While we’ve lost fellow legends John Candy, Joan Rivers and Dom DeLuise, we’ve still got quite a few of the major figures from the original ready to jump back in. 

At the very least, it would be amazing to see Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga return, as catching up with Lone Star and Princess Vespa in the present day feels like step one for the new sequel. Although while we’re discussing Spaceballs 2’s potential casting coups, it’s time to wonder if this could be the movie that could be Rick Moranis’s return to the big screen? 

Save for appearances on Disney+’s Prop Culture and Ryan Reynolds’ hysterical Mint Mobile ad, Moranis has mostly been pulling voice roles whenever he feels up to the job. Which, honestly, is totally deserved; as the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids legend not only scaled back his career to take care of his family, but he’s also happy at his current pace.

Previous rumblings of Rick Moranis and Josh Gad collaborating on the now in-limbo Honey I Shrunk The Kids legacy-quel certainly feel like the fuel to this speculative fire. In fact, that previous association could be a fun way into this new story, with The Book of Mormon co-star playing the Kylo Ren analog to Moranis’ Dark Helmet. Don’t worry about him not looking too much like Bill Pullman or Daphne Zuniga, though, because as we remember from Spaceballs’ climactic Schwartz fight, the relationship between Prince Lone Star and Dark Helmet is… absolutely nothing. 

As we have no clue when then will be now when it comes to Spaceballs 2's potential production and release schedule, we're one step closer to seeing it become a reality. For now, you'll just have to settle for perusing the 2024 movie schedule in the search for more entertainment. 

If you can read this, the magnification on your browser is perfect. 

When looking over all the Mel Brooks movies, it’s safe to say that 1987’s Spaceballs, a parody of the original Star Wars movies, is one of the filmmaker’s more well-known cinematic offerings. Among the funniest jokes in the movie is when Brooks as Yogurt informed Bill Pullman’s Lone Starr that they may meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money. Although Brooks never ended up making such a flick in real life (though he did express interest in doing so), it appears that Josh Gad may have teased he’s working on a Spaceballs sequel.

Gad, of course, is no stranger to comedy, from his time on stage productions like The Book of Mormon and Gutenberg! The Musical!, to appearances in movies and TV shows like The Wedding Ringer, New Girl and Avenue 5, not to mention how funny his Frozen character Olaf is across that franchise. But Gad also has a sizable amount of writing experience under his belt, which includes him creating the short-lived sitcom 1600 Penn and the animated Apple TV+ series Central Park (which ended last year). Gad has now revealed on his social media channels, including Instagram, the latest project he’s penned, so take a look:

As seen in the caption, Josh Gad thinks this film script, which he wrote with Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, may be the “funniest and best thing he’s ever worked on,” but almost all the details in the pages he shared are blacked out. So why am I bringing up a Spaceballs sequel? Well, there are two potential clues that have many people thinking that this is Gad’s upcoming projects.

First, whatever this script is about involves a preexisting IP, as evidenced by the “Based on Characters Created by” part. If you look closely though, the first name of the creator appears to be Mel, so when you combine that with the fact that this is a comedy, Mel Brooks is a logical conclusion. Second, the little portion of the second page shown says “EXT. STAR FIELD,” so whatever movie Gad, Hernandez and Samit have written opens with a scene set in outer space.

Now obviously we can’t say with 100% certainty that Josh Gad is working on Spaceballs 2, but it’s looking pretty likely given what little information is available. Ideally Gad will confirm or debunk this belief sooner rather than later, but of all the contemporary comic talents to revive Spaceballs, I trust he and his partners to handle this material effectively. It also helps that not only does Gad know Brooks and worked with him (Brooks guest-starred as The Producer in the cast recording for Gutenberg! The Musical!), he’s already acted in a different Brooks-related revival, History of the World Part II, the limited series that can be streamed with a Hulu subscription.

If this Spaceballs sequel is indeed on the way, it will be the second time the property has been revisited, as Spaceballs: The Animated Series aired 13 episodes from June 2008 to March 2009. It’ll also be interesting to see if the sequel would bring back surviving cast members from the original like Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga and Rick Moranis, or if it would star all-new faces, and thus function as more of a reboot.

Whatever the case, we’ll either let you know if Spaceballs 2 is moving forward if there’s official confirmation or pass along if Josh Gad said this was a script for something completely different. For now, look through our 2024 movies schedule to see what cinematic entertainment is out now and arriving later in the year.

The Holocaust was Nazi Germany’s deliberate genocide of European Jews that left 6 million murdered. With millions of people affected by the Holocaust, there’s a good chance you or someone you know has family connections to those who passed away or those who survived during that devastating time. With a number of Jewish talents in Hollywood who you may have found in 2024 movie releases, many famous celebrities have shared the stories of their family ties with the Holocaust.

Steven Spielberg

American filmmaker Steven Spielberg’s connections to the Holocaust go way beyond the boundaries of his World War II movie, Schindler’s List. Aish reported that in the biography, Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films, Spielberg’s father lost an estimated sixteen to twenty relatives who were from the Ukraine and Poland. He recalled that his parents would educate the blockbuster filmmaker on the Holocaust through many dinner talks:

In fact, Spielberg’s exploration of the Holocaust came full circle when he courageously delved into its horrors in Schindler’s List. Arguably the best film of Spielberg's and one the best of the ‘90s, he told the true story of German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who saved more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees at the time. The Jurassic Park director wanted to make a movie “that would confirm my Judaism to my family and myself.” Beyond Schindler’s List, Spielberg is also the founder of the Shoah Foundation which archives testimonies of Holocaust survivors.

Mila Kunis

During the Nazi occupation in the Ukraine, where Mila Kunis was born, 900,000 Jews were murdered. While speaking to Britain’s The Sun in 2012, the That 70’s Show actress revealed that her grandparents were Holocaust survivors:

Kunis also made sure to mention that her upbringing in the Ukraine was not a pleasant one. She remembered seeing anti-Semitic graffiti in her school in Chernivtsi and her school friend going home crying after someone put a swastika sign on the back of her seat. The Black Swan actress made sure to mention that while Russians weren’t allowed to be religious after the Holocaust, her parents made sure to remind her of her roots:

Gene Simmons

Florence Klein, the mother of Kiss frontman and former Jingles celebrity judge, Gene Simmons, apparently almost never spoke to her son about her experiences in the Holocaust. But according to The Times of Israel, the Israeli-born musician got some answers by reaching out to a German newspaper about his mother two years after her death. 

On the 75th anniversary of the then-19-year-old Klein’s liberation at the Mauthausen camp, Simmons was given 100 pages of what happened to his mother during the Holocaust. Here was her statement to the former Restitution Office in Koblenz:

Klein was transferred to the Venusberg sub-camp of the Flossenburg concentration camp in January 1945 and then arrived at Mauthausen two months later. Simmons found his grandmother’s name, Ester Blau, in the documents that said she died in the Nazi gas chambers. While reading the documents, the “Detroit Rock City” singer discovered something else important about his mother:

Lisa Kudrow

In Lisa Kudrow’s celebrity genealogy show Who Do You Think You Are?, she wanted to find answers to what her dad taught her growing up about their family ties with the Holocaust. The television star traveled to Minsk, Belarus for her episode, where she discovered almost the entire Jewish population of Belarus was murdered at the hands of Nazis. 

One of them was Kudrow’s great-grandmother, Meri Mordejovich, who was among Jewish citizens who were ordered to march to a storage building, forced to remove their clothes and enter the building where they were shot. The Nazis then threw oil on the walls and set the building on fire. According to Kvellar, here is the reaction the former Friends actress had in the episode: 

The one who broke the news at the time to Kudrow’s grandmother about Meri Mordejovich was their cousin, Yuri Barudin. Long believed to have died, the Easy A actress went on Ancestry.com to discover that Cousin Yuri was alive! Kudrow got to meet him and his grandchildren who then connected with her dad. 

Josh Gad

Known for his work in the Frozen series, which are two of the top-ranked Disney Animation movies, Josh Gad is the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. This year on Holocaust Remembrance Day, the Beauty and the Beast actor posted on Instagram a family photo with his grandparents who, during the Holocaust, were separated from their parents and put into concentration camps: 

At the end of Gad’s post, he delivers a powerful reminder about being two generations away from a world where Jews were targeted "for nothing more than their identity and faith." He concluded with a takeaway message we should all hold dear:

The families of each of these celebrities dealt with unspeakable tragedies during the Holocaust, but survived and showed resilience. Through each story told, A-listers help keep the memories of their ancestors alive. Each survivor’s story helps future generations understand the depths of the atrocities that occurred in the world.

Make sure to take a look at our streaming schedule so you’re updated on the latest movies and TV shows these celebrities are in.

Josh Gad loves Disney as much as your average Disney Adult. The man is the voice of Olaf, the live-action Le Fou, and even the narrator of a Disney+ animal show. Gad is a certified Disney Legend, so it’s know wonder that when he arrives at Disneyland he’s just allowed to narrate attractions, whether or not those attractions actually have narrators. 

Josh Gad Has Now Narrated His Second Disneyland Attraction

Previously Josh Gad took a spin as a Jungle Cruise skipper, providing his own versions of the hilarious Jungle Cruise puns as only the World Famous Jungle Cruise skippers can do. The video of that from Disney Parks went viral, so clearly there was a lot of interest in it. This would seem to be why Gad has returned to the Happiest Place on Earth, and this time on TikTok he’s been given the task of narrating the Disneyland Railroad. There normally isn’t a hilarious running commentary on this ride, but perhaps, after seeing Josh Gad do it, there should be.  

Fans clearly love to see Josh Gad narrate Disneyland rides. More than one comment calls the actor a “national treasure” and many are hoping that this second narration is part of a new running gag that will see Gad narrate more rides at Disneyland or do other cast member jobs. It’s certainly not a terrible idea.

Considering that we know how well Josh Gad can sing, I think letting him join the Dapper Dans would be amazing. Alternatively, he could just be the funniest churro seller you ever saw. But if we’re going to let Josh Gad narrate more Disneyland rides there’s one that just needs to happen.

Make Josh Gad The Ghost Host On The Haunted Mansion 

While I’m pretty sure that Josh Gad would make any Disneyland ride more fun, adding him as a narrator would be difficult for a lot of rides, that are either too short, too fast, or would interfere with the attraction itself if a narrator was added, but there’s one place adding a narrator would be easy, the Haunted Mansion.

The Haunted Mansion is already a guided tour, with the Ghost Host taking you through the experience as the disembodied voice talks you through the Omnimover ride. It would be the easiest thing in the world to let Josh Gad record his own version and to surprise guests on the best Disneyland attraction when they hear the voice of Olaf and not Paul Frees.

I know a lot of purists would hate this idea, but I’m not saying this is something that should be done long-term. As with the other Josh Gad narrations, where a handful of guests got to experience this in reality, and the rest of us got to see the highlights, cameras can catch the reactions of guests surprised to hear Josh Gad, and after it’s done for a few people, things can go back to business as usual. 

Of course, right now Josh Gad can't narrate the Haunted Mansion as the attraction is closed at Disneyland due to a massive external queue redesign. The Disneyland Railroad Josh Gad was on also didn't make a stop at New Orleans Square for the same reason. At this point, we don't know when the Haunted Mansion could reopen. Maybe, once all the work in that area is done, Gad can return for his next park narration. 

David Krumholtz has been around the acting block for a long time now, from playing Bernard in first two The Santa Clause movies and the follow-up series The Santa Clauses, to his time as Charlie Eppes on Numb3rs, to most recently portraying physicist Isidor Isaac Rabbi in Oppenheimer. So naturally he’s been to a lot of auditions during his career, but one takes the cake when it comes to the worst. Krumholtz detailed what went wrong when he auditioned for a movie more than a decade ago, and it involved Josh Gad and someone he described as a “70 year old Super Mario look-alike.”

Krumholtz detailed his “worst audition experience ever” in an X thread, sharing that trying out for the Kevin Smith-directed movie Cop Out was a “nightmare” and “unreal,” and that Josh Gad was there too. Per The Deuce alum, he and Gad were the last two actors to audition, having waited two hours to perform two scenes. By the time the casting director came out, there was “no time left,” so Krumholtz and Gad could “only do one of the scenes, once. No notes. No 2nd take.” That was fine enough for Krumholtz, but when he walked into the room where Smith greeted him, he noticed this Mario look-alike who didn’t introduce himself, which then led to the following:

Aside from how hilarious it is that this man lives on in David Krumholtz’s mind identified only as “Old Mario,” I don’t blame him for considering this his worst audition experience ever. Even ignoring the fact that he and Josh Gad didn’t get to perform as much material as they’d prepared for, this mustachioed man’s cell phone going off was more than enough of a distraction to throw Krumholtz off his game. That’s not to say that Krumholtz was guaranteed to get this role even if the audition went well, because because that phone wasn’t turned off, it killed his chances of at least making it to the next stage.

Still, considering how negatively Cop Out was received when it played in theaters (although it did get some love on Netflix back in 2020), perhaps it’s for the best that this movie wasn’t added to Krumholtz’s resume. Kevin Smith even admitted he experienced “true darkness” when working with Bruce Willis on Cop Out, although he later apologized for these complaints after Willis retired from acting due to aphasia (he was later diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia). Cop Out also starred Tracy Morgan, Adam Brody and Kevin Pollak, among others.

Looking back at David Krumholtz, you can revisit his performance in Oppenheimer when it arrives on streaming later this month, assuming you don’t already own a physical or digital copy of the movie. He’ll next be seen in an episode of Law & Order: SVU, and is also reprising Kareem Abdul Lavash in the TV series Sausage Party: Foodtopia, which will be streamed exclusively to Amazon Prime Video subscribers sometime later in 2024.

The brand new, revamped and rebooted DC Universe (DCU) has opened up endless possibilities. A new Superman has already been cast and is ready to take flight in the first movie in the new universe, which is replacing the old DC Extended Universe (DCEU). 

Producer James Gunn has shown he has a clear vision to wipe away most of the past and move forward with new actors and new stories, so for the purposes of this daydreaming, we're going to leave out the great actors who have appeared in DC-related films in the past, including the most recent movies starring the likes of Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, and Ben Affleck, though we're not against them returning, too. 

Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling is one of the biggest stars in the world, and also one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood. He's the kind of actor you could cast in almost any role and you just know he'd hit it out of the park. He could play a hero or a villain and audiences would be transfixed no matter what. We probably want him as one of the most famous heroes though, someone befitting his star status. 

Daisy Ridley

We know she can carry a franchise, and we know she's a tough woman, so Daisy Ridley just has to find her way into the DCU. Of course, she'd have to be a hero, but who knows, maybe a change of pace from the Star Wars movies could be cool and she could play a villain. Either way, she has to have powers greater than The Force. 

Tom Cruise

It's time. It's hard to believe Tom Cruise has never been in a superhero movie. One of, in not the, biggest action stars of the last few decades still has that "hole" on his resume and it's time it got filled. Of course, we'd all love to see Cruise as a hero, but it would be awesome for him to be in any role, even a cameo like his turn in Tropic Thunder. Just get him in there, James Gunn! 

Jennifer Lawrence

Sure, Jennifer Lawrence appeared in the X-Men franchise, but that was years ago, and the comic book movie scene is a whole lot different today. Lawrence is a perfect fit for any number of roles, and even though she's great as Mystique, what about a hero as big as Wonder Woman or Black Canary? Surely she'd be fantastic. 

John Krasinski

John Krasinski delighted fans with his cameo as Dr. Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. MCU fans have been dying to see him as Mister Fantastic in the Fantastic 4 in the future, but so far, there's only been cold water thrown on the idea. That opens up the DCU for the former The Office star and he needs to step in. 

Zendaya

There isn't a bigger star on the scene right now than Zendaya. Sure, she's played MJ in the MCU and Spider-Man movies, but let's give her some real superpowers and let her run wild in the DCU. 

Jacob Elordi

Sure, Jacob Elordi says he's not interested in playing a superhero, having turned down an opportunity to read for Superman in the new DCU, but that doesn't mean we can't dream, right? There are so many heroes in the universe he could play. Elordi has been a hit in recent years with his role on HBO's Euphoria and movies like Saltburn and Pricilla, so he doesn't really need to be in the DCU, but we need him to be. 

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet has a knack for picking great roles for himself. At this point, he can pick and choose anything he wants, given how often his movies are hits. Chalamet could probably just tell James Gunn what role he wanted and they'd find a way for it to happen. So let's do it! 

Meryl Streep

Let's be real, there is nothing Meryl Streep can't do. The greatest actor of her generation, bar none, and yet, she's never appeared in a superhero movie. She's flirted with the idea, according to some reports, and she even did the Wakanda salute at the 2024 Golden Globes, but alas, we still haven't seen her in one. The new DCU must have a spot for her, right?

Patina Miller

Patina Miller has won a Tony and she's starred in two hit shows (Madam Secretary and Power Book III: Raising Kanan), but she hasn't broken big on the big screen, aside from an important but too-brief role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, and it's time that changed. She looks like a superhero and can act her socks off, so let's make it happen, let's make her a star in the DCU. 

Adam Driver

As Kylo Ren in the Star Wars sequels, Adam Driver showed he could play a first-rate villain. Now it's time to see him play a hero. Any hero, pick one, it doesn't matter, he'd kill it. Batman? For sure. Superman? Well, that role is taken, but yes. Aquaman? Oh yes. Martian Manhunter? Check. Wonder Woman? Sure, why not, he's got the hair for it. Let's go! 

Mark Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg may be aging gracefully and while he says he's ready to play grandpa roles, we think he'll never be too old for a spot in the DCU. Somehow he's never been in either the MCU or any of the DC-related properties, so the time is right. 

Cailee Spaeny

She may not jump off the page as a possible superhero, but don't forget that Cailee Spaeny starred in Pacific Rim Uprising and clearly has the chops to be in a big action flick. She's an up-and-coming superstar and jumping into the DCU now would be perfect timing. 

Alan Ritchson

Reacher's Alan Ritchson is over six feet tall and built like a monster truck, is there anyone in Hollywood more perfect to play an intimidating villain in a comic book movie? Sure, he could play a superhero, too, but being a villain would be an awesome departure from his character on Reacher and it would be a ton a fun. And again, just look at the guy! 

Sterling K. Brown

Sterling K. Brown had an all-too-brief role as T'Chala's traitorous brother N'Jobu in Black Panther and it's high time he gets a chance to sink his teeth into a bigger superhero role. How about John Stewart/Green Lantern in the DCU? Brown has even campaigned for the role, so really, it's a perfect opportunity to get him into the DC Universe, it needs to happen, so we're putting it out there into the universe again. 

Peter Dinklage

Peter Dinklage has dabbled in superhero movies in the past, playing the villain, Bolivar Trask, in X-Men: Days of Future Past, as Eitri in Avengers: Infinity War, and as the Toxic Avenger, but it leaves us all wanting more. Let's be honest here, anything Dinklage does is awesome, so getting him into the DCU somehow would be amazing. He's also pretty good at carrying a wildly popular franchise, as he proved with Game of Thrones.

Taraji P. Henson

Taraji P. Henson has done it all, except star in a comic book movie. Henson is one of the best actors of her generation and yet, she's got this hole in her resume that, let's be honest, we all want to see filled. The DCU would be a perfect place for her to land, in just about any role, superhero, villain, regular human... anything, just get her in there! 

Charlize Theron

Audiences were teased with a Charlize Theron character in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and the actress stars in the Old Guard franchise, but she's not appeared in any DC-related projects yet and she sure deserves to. We'd love to see her in any number of roles, as she can play just about anything. 

Jason Statham

He's one of the biggest action stars in the world, and yet Jason Statham hasn't appeared in the MCU or anything DC-related. This is something that must be remedied! How about Cliff Steele/Robotman, whose origin story comes out of a race car crash, which would dovetail perfectly with Statham's past work as star of The Transporter movies and in the Fast franchise?

Jodie Comer

Jodie Comer has been taking the world by storm over the last few years and that means it's time to find her way into the DCU. Comer could be great in the MCU, but the possibilities in the DCU are endless and for someone like her, on the rise in Hollywood, the sky's the limit. 

Don Cheadle

Don Cheadle is pretty entrenched in the MCU, where he's played James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine 10 times in various movies and TV shows. Still, Cheadle is awesome, and there has to be a way to get him into the DCU, too. He'd need to play a completely different kind of character, like a villain, but we're for it. 

Jenna Ortega

Wednesday star Jenna Ortega is clearly ready for the big time. She'd be great as Aquagirl, or, even better, the villain Lourdes Lucero/Encantadora. There are a lot of options, let's hope she fits into one, because it would be great. 

Zoe Saldaña

Zoe Saldaña is another star that most fans immediately associate with The Guardians of the Galaxy and the MCU, but with the Guardians franchise possibly winding down, and the franchise's director, James Gunn, now in charge over at DC, this could be a good time to switch it up for Saldaña, as there are a lot of different heroes she would be great for. 

Josh Gad

Hear us out. Josh Gad may not be the first person you think of when you think of an action movie or a comic book movie, but some of the best casting decisions are sometimes the ones you least expect. Think Michael Keaton as Batman or even Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man. Gad, with his blend of humor and "everyman" qualities, can be pretty chameleon-like and that could make him perfect for the DCU. 

Gwendoline Christie

How has this happened? How have we gotten dozens of superhero movies in the last couple of decades and Gwendoline Christie hasn't been in any of them? Sure, she's got the physique to play any hero out there, but it's her wit and comedic timing combined with that that makes the Game of Thrones star a no-brainer. This seems too easy.

Naomie Harris

Naomie Harris jumped into the comic book world by playing Shriek in Venom: Let There Be Carnage. She was predictably great, so why not have her cast as a character with a multi-film arc? She should be. With the James Bond Universe in flux with the departure of Daniel Craig, this would be a great time for Harris to find a new franchise to get attached to. 

Daniel Kaluuya

Black Panther star Daniel Kaluuya (who also starred as a real-life Black Panther in Judas and the Black Messiah) is an actor who could fit into the DCU in just about any role. He could be a charming hero, or an evil villain, or even a government bureaucrat. Kaluuya's acting toolbox has a lot of options, the DCU will do well to take advantage of that somehow. 

Natalie Dormer

Natalie Dormer is a veteran of a lot of big-time franchises. Game of Thrones, Hunger Games, and even the MCU. Unfortunately, she was in fewer Game of Thrones episodes than you would think, and her appearances in the other two were also fairly brief. The DCU has a great opportunity to feature her in a much larger role. 

Donald Glover

This is another absolute no-brainer. Donald Glover is one of the most talented and charming actors in the business, there are an endless amount of roles he could fill in the DCU, so someone out there needs to find a spot for him. 

Diego Luna

With Andor (and his other projects) Diego Luna showed the world how great he can be in a franchise. His performance was gripping, and bringing that same energy to the DCU would be fantastic. 

Jack Quaid

Let's take a sec to lament that despite starring in one of the wildest superhero franchises of all time, The Boys, Jack Quaid hasn't really had an opportunity to be a proper superhero (V-24 notwithstanding). So let's give him a proper chance here! Put him in the DCU! 

Hayden Panettiere

Save the cheerleader, save the world. It was a mantra for Heroes and it's time to see Hayden Panettiere play another superhero. She was so great in Heroes, there's no way she wouldn't be great in the DCU

The DC Universe is James Gunn's oyster, these are some of the pearls out there just waiting to be plopped onto his beach. 

When it was announced a Honey, I Shrunk the Kids reboot was happening, fans couldn’t help but rejoice upon learning Rick Moranis would return after a long hiatus from the limelight. Thankfully, Josh Gad spearheaded the project, as he was set to play Moranis’ son. However, there hasn’t been much news since it was announced. Unfortunately, that’s for good reason, as Gad gave a bittersweet update on the legacy-quel, albeit with a silver lining.

The Frozen star was candid about the stalled reboot’s progress during an interview on The Jesse Cagle Show. Gad couldn’t hold back his disappointment as he revealed the sequel wasn’t going forward right now. The Olaf actor mentioned multiple factors that led to this development before revealing an unexpected twist about how close the sequel was to being filmed. Gad said:

At least Gad was honest with his sequel update. His schedule became busy with his current Broadway run of Gutenberg! and the announcement of two Frozen sequels. It seemed the Honey I Shrunk the Kids reboot was ready to go at various points over the last few years. However, his reasoning for the movie’s cancellation made sense, as Disney has been scrapping various movies (and TV shows) after a lackluster year at the box office. The House of Mouse will not have a billion-dollar-grossing movie for the first time in a decade.  

While the Honey I Shrunk legacy-quel is dormant for now, Josh Gad did have a piece of bright news for Rick Moranis fans. The film and stage star hinted that both parties might be working on another project in the meantime. The Beauty and the Beast star said:

So it appears that Josh Gad and Rick Moranis might co-star in another film in the future. It would be fun to see both actors play a father and son in another capacity. Whether it’s on the big or small screen, I'm fascinated to see what both actors have in store for audiences. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first canceled Disney project for the Tony-nominated actor, as the Gaston and LeFou spinoff series was also shelved.

As Josh Gad mentioned before, his career is in full swing as he appeared in multiple films and TV shows in 2023. Gad was heard in the animal comedy Strays, which is currently available through a Peacock subscription. You can also stay on the streamer and watch the multifaceted performer in the series Wolf Like Me. Don’t forget to check out our 2024 movie schedule to find where Gad might pop up next.  

Josh Gad, who's arguably best known for voicing Olaf in Disney's animated $1 billion box office film series Frozen, has had another notable toon project on his plate over the past few years. He has also served as a cast member of Central Park, on which he's voiced Birdie -- the titular park’s busker and the show’s narrator. It's been over a year since new episodes have been available to Apple TV+ subscribers and, naturally, some have probably been wondering about the show's status. Well, it seems fans are going to have to "let it go," as Gad confirmed the sitcom's cancellation. 

Central Park -- which marked another collaboration for Frozen's Josh Gad and Kristen Bell -- centered around about a family living in the New York City park and fighting to save it from a greedy landowner. The show seemed to build up a solid following over its three seasons. Unfortunately though, when a fan asked Gad if the animated series would return for a fourth season, he confirmed on Threads that the show was over, simply saying:

As expected, fans were disappointed to hear about the cancellation. One user was thankful that audiences, at the very least, got to experience three seasons of the series. That's impressive, especially since Apple TV+ has canceled shows after one season like High Desert, Amber Brown and Dear Edward. The cancellations kept on coming at the end of the summer with City of Fire not getting renewed past its first season. Whatever the reason for this latest content move is, it’s a real shame for fans who were attached to the musical series. 

Central Park had a lot of promise, and one reason fans may have been excited about the Apple series ahead of its debut is that it was co-created by Bob's Burgers Loren Bouchard. The animated series was originally supposed to air on Fox until the network passed on it, and the project made its way to streaming. Josh Gad and Kristen Bell were also joined by a star-studded cast consist Leslie Odom Jr., Stanley Tucci, Emmy Raver-Lampman and Daveed Diggs. The lovely animation, great musical numbers and stellar cast contributed to what was a truly entertaining show.

Though it's come to an end, the series remains one of the best Apple TV+ series to watch. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series premiered with a critical rating of 94%, and its second season got a perfect 100%. It also received awards recognition, notching four Emmy nominations for the vocal talents of Leslie Odom Jr., Tituss Burgess and Stanley Tucci. It even managed to win Best Animated at the AAFCA TV Honors. 

It may be hard for some to let go of Central Park in the aftermath of Josh Gad's sad announcement. I suppose if there's any consolation, it's that we had the show at all and can still check it out. If you’re curious to know why critics and audiences love the musical animated series, it’s still available to stream on Apple TV+. You can also check out the 2024 TV schedule to get information on other excellent shows you can watch.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains light spoilers for Strays. If you have not yet seen the film, proceed at your own risk!

The new comedy Strays features a number of weird, R-rated gags and surprises, but the best of them features the protagonists running into what’s referred to as a Narrator Dog. The bit parodies the films A Dog's Purpose and A Dog’s Journey, and it’s great not just because of the dark twist that’s thrown in, but because the Narrator Dog is voiced by Josh Gad (a.k.a. the star of A Dog's Purpose and A Dog’s Journey). It’s a great joke – but the movie’s director wasn’t always sure that it was going to work out as planned.

Prior to the release of Strays this weekend, I spoke with Josh Greenbaum during the film’s virtual press day, and I made a specific point of asking about getting Josh Gad involved. The filmmaker explained that asking for any kind of permission was never a thing because Universal Pictures produced the movies that were parodied, but he added that he wasn’t always sure how Gad would respond to the idea. Said Greenbaum,

In Strays, the Narrator Dog is a Golden Retriever introduced while the main characters are trying to find some food at a fair. He is featured standing by observing his owner and his girlfriend have a romantic moment… and he ponders her fate due to the fact that she is evidently dating a dangerous, violent psychopath who has multiple bodies buried in his backyard.

It’s a funny and messed up take on the romantic drama that is featured in Josh Gad’s other dog-centric movies, and apparently it wasn’t the only gag that was available for Josh Greenbaum to use when Strays was being edited. The director reflected on his time with Gad in the recording sessions and remarked that the actor came up with some wild ideas:

With the reference to A Dog's Purpose/A Dog’s Journey in Strays, I also asked Josh Greenbaum if there were ideas for other movie dogs to include in the film. Perhaps an encounter with a rabid Saint Bernard a la Cujo? The filmmaker said that idea wasn’t in the mix during production, but pitched his own version and suggested it could be material for a sequel:

Featuring a stellar cast that includes Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park and Will Forte, Strays is now playing in theaters everywhere – and stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more from my interview with Josh Greenbaum. For a look ahead at all of the films set to be released between now and the end of the year, both on the big screen and on streaming, check out our 2023 Movie Release Calendar.

Josh Gad officially joined the list of celebrities that have been seen attending Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. While Laura Dern and Emma Stone had their venture in Arizona, Gad decided to attend one of Swift’s shows in Santa Clarita, California. It looks like he couldn't have been more excited to be there, and the star took his family to the concert as well. He not only posted pics and videos from the event but also provided a great caption that I think will resonate with Swiftie dads everywhere.

The Frozen star took to TikTok to post his videos from the show, where the songstress sang her smash-hit single "Anti-Hero." In his caption, the fan-favorite actor played on one of the Grammy winner’s most memorable lines from the song. Instead of “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem it’s me,” Gad captioned his video, “It’s me, It’s me. I. I’m the Dad. It’s me.” You can see his post below:

The actor also took a selfie before the concert and included the same cheeky caption in the post. The image itself shows all the Swifties flooding into the stadium behind him, and you can check out the snapshot for yourself:

Despite totally being on Dad duty while at the concert, Josh Gad seemed to be having an absolute blast while gearing up for the singer to come out. The comedic actor even live streamed Taylor Swift’s entrance on his Instagram as well. The stream was reposted in the TikTok below:

Fans seemed to love the fact that the Murder on the Orient Express alum wasn’t sitting amongst other celebrities in the VIP tent like Paul Rudd and Aaron Rodgers did. While the tent has been the main source of celeb sightings at the concerts, Josh Gad seemed perfectly content in his normal concert seats. Knowing that Gad likely took part in the crazy Ticketmaster fiasco to get Swift tickets for his daughters, just like most other fans, is very endearing. Additionally, he got a great view of the stadium, and one would think his family had fun. 

Josh Gad is in great company when it comes to Taylor Swift concert attendees, and many brought their relatives to the show as well. Swift’s bestie, Selena Gomez, was seen rocking out to the show with her little sister, while Blake Lively was spotted accompanying her kids to a show in Philadelphia. Gad likely scored some major brownie points for bringing the fam to the concert, especially since the tickets were notoriously difficult to obtain. Funny enough, Swift has dressed up as Olaf at one of her past concerts. So if she's aware the Disney star attended one of her shows, that thought probably delights her, and I'm sure she'd get a kick out of his A+ captions, too.

Fans of the comedian can check out his latest film, Strays, which will hit theaters on August 18th. You can also experience the magic of a Swift concert yourself by checking out her 2018 concert film Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour, as it's streaming now with a Netflix subscription.

Yesterday Josh Gad, the star of Frozen, shared an intriguing revelation about the new Disney short titled Once Upon a Studio. Specifically that the late Robin Williams was metaphorically brought back to portray his iconic Genie character through "previously unheard audio.” The news initially sparked a wave of positive responses; however, both the Jobs actor and the House of Mouse faced criticism over the usage of the late actor's likeness. In response, Gad has now stepped forward to shed further light on the matter, offering much-needed clarity.

Gad directly addressed the criticism, taking to social media to reassure fans that the use of Robin Williams' Genie in the short film was handled respectfully. In an Instagram post, the Olaf performer expressed reverence for Williams and stressed the need to gather facts before forming conclusions. The following caption from the Beauty & the Beast star accompanied the post:

The Ice Age alum's words serve as a reminder to fans that their concerns have been taken into account and that the creative team behind the Disney short had obtained the necessary permissions to include Robin Williams' Genie. The actor emphasized his deep admiration for the comedian and his commitment to honoring the legacy of one of the industry's most beloved performers. He continued:

Considering Robin Williams's untimely passing in 2014, fans were understandably upset, feeling as though his likeness was possibly being used without integrity. However, Gad's sincere message has seemingly alleviated some concerns, emphasizing the importance of honoring Williams's legacy and clarifying the meticulous procedures followed by the creative team. For more details, refer to the embedded post below:

To celebrate Walt Disney Animation Studios' 100th anniversary, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival unveiled Once Upon A Studio, a delightful short film that Variety aptly described as a "passion project." Spanning nine minutes, the short resurrects over four hundred characters, including Robin Williams's iconic Genie, combining hand-drawn, CG, and live-action elements seamlessly. 

While discussing the portrayal of Robin Williams' Genie character in Once Upon A Studio, it is worth noting that this is not the first instance where Disney has revealed unused material related to the iconic character. Lead Aladdin animator Eric Goldberg shared that he animated numerous impressions of Williams to capture his legendary performance. Goldberg's insights and experiences are featured in the Disney+ docuseries Sketchbook, where Disney animators teach viewers how to draw famous Disney characters while sharing their personal journeys in animation and their contributions to bringing these beloved characters to life, such as how they landed on the Genie’s beloved look. To access the series and discover other new movies and TV shows available on Disney+, you only need a Disney+ subscription. 

The distribution plans for Once Upon A Studio, the centenary celebrating short, are not yet confirmed. However, it is anticipated to have a wider release before the anniversary year concludes, allowing fans the opportunity to witness the on-screen collaboration of Josh Gad and Robin Williams' iconic characters, amongst many others.

Check out Cinemablend’s 2023 movie release schedule to plan your next trip to the theater. 

By our count, there are 97 famous faces in the massive, star-studded History of the World, Part II cast — all of whom would be just a little too difficult to cover in one article. So, we decided to narrow our breakdown of who is starring in Mel Brooks’ aptly titled series sequel to his 1981 film, History of the World, Part I, to just the 18 names confirmed in the trailer for the new comedy TV show streaming on Hulu now. Let’s begin with the man who started it all. 

Mel Brooks

We do not know who Mel Brooks is playing in History of the World, Part II, but hope he reprises some of his characters from the original (such as Moses and King Louis XVI), which is just one of the many classic spoof movies (such as Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, and Spaceballs) that made him a legend. In more recent years, the Oscar winner (for writing 1967’s The Producers) has mostly done voice acting roles in movies like the Blue Sky favorite, Robots, the Hotel Transylvania movies was Vlad, Toy Story 4 as Melephant Brooks, and the Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank cast as The Shogun.

Ike Barinholtz

Portraying multiple historical figures (including Alexander Graham Bell) is executive producer and former MADtv star Ike Barinholtz, who has also starred in parody movies like Disaster Movie and Vampires Suck, as well as more grounded comedies like Blockers and Neighbors and nuanced, dark satires like The Oath, which he also wrote and directed. The Mindy Project cast member’s career has also grown more eclectic after appearing in thrillers like Suicide Squad (before voicing Two-Face on the DC-inspired podcast, Batman: The Audio Adventures), The Hunt, and Netflix’s fantasy crime drama, Bright.

Nick Kroll

Also taking on multiple roles (such as Judas, according to THR) and executive producing is comedian Nick Kroll, who had his own sketch series called Kroll Show, following his appearances in movies like I Love You, Man and Dinner with Schmucks and his starring role on one of the funniest shows on Hulu, The League. Outside of lending his voice to the new Addams Family movies and the Sing movies, the Emmy-nominated co-creator of Netflix’s Big Mouth has also led a more eclectic career lately that includes joining the Don’t Worry Darling cast and the 2018 historical drama, Operation Finale.

Wanda Sykes

Fellow History of the World, Part II headliner (appearing as Harriet Tubman in one sketch, for instance) and executive producer Wanda Sykes has one of the funniest stand-up specials on Paramount+, is a scene-stealer in movies like Down to Earth, Monster-in-Law, and Clerks II, and stars on a popular Netflix sitcom called The Upshaws. The recent Oscars host was also a highlight of other sitcoms like Curb Your Enthusiasm and The New Adventures of Old Christine and has leant her voice to movies like the Ice Age series and TV shows like Bob’s Burgers.

Pamela Adlon

Pamela Adlon’s career began with a role in 1982’s Grease 2, leading to guest spots in acclaimed sitcoms like Night Court and The Jeffersons, and parts in cinematic favorites like Say Anything… She is best known, however, for her various voice acting roles — such as her Emmy-winning work in the King of the Hill cast as Bobby Hill and Netflix’s Human Resources cast with Kroll — and leading the FX dramedy, Better Things, which she also co-created. 

Zazie Beetz

Appearing as Mary Magdalene (according to Time) is Zazie Beetz, who rose to fame as one of the four main stars of FX’s Atlanta in her Emmy-nominated role as Vanessa. Soon after, the German-American actor earned comic book movie roles (Domino in Deadpool 2 and Joaquin Phoenix’s love interest in Joker), leant her voice to a comic book TV show (Amazon Prime’s Invincible cast), played a disguised assassin in the Bullet Train cast, and is set to appear on Black Mirror Season 6, next.

Jack Black

Jack Black once paid tribute to Mel Brooks at the Kennedy Center Honors by performing a song from Robin Hood: Men in Tights and earned the chance to do so by being one of the most popular comedic actors of his time after starring in movies like High Fidelity and School of Rock — the latter of which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination — to name a few. Some of the actor and musician’s best-known work also includes Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake, director Ben Stiller’s Tropic Thunder, voicing Po in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, and the last couple of Jumanji movies.

Quinta Brunson

Jack Black’s Weird: The Al Yankovic Story co-star, Quinta Brunson (she played Oprah), has quickly become one of the most prominent faces in comedy following her Emmy-winning work as the creator and star of Abbott Elementary. Prior to that, she appeared alongside Seth Rogen (more on him later) in HBO Max’s An American Pickle, parodied another era of history on TBS’ third season of Miracle Workers, and also leant her voice to a few episodes of Big Mouth.

Dove Cameron

As Princess Anastasia, we have former Disney Channel star Dove Cameron, who has come quite a long way since rising to fame as both titular roles on Liv and Maddie and Maleficent’s daughter in the Descendants franchise. The star of Vengeance and Good Mourning more recently utilized her talents for acting and singing in Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon! cast.

Danny DeVito

One of the biggest living legends in History of the World, Part II is Danny DeVito, whose eclectic film career includes One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Twins, and Batman Returns (as one of the most iconic Penguin portrayals) — and that is not counting what he has directed, such as Matilda and Death to Smoochy. He is just as much of an icon on TV, having earned an Emmy for playing Louie de Palma on Taxi and starring as Frank Reynolds in the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia cast for 15 seasons so far.

Jay Ellis

Starring as Jesus is Insecure cast member Jay Ellis, who had previously landed his first starring role on a TV series with BET’s The Game. That would lead to an impressive resume of feature-length hits like 2019’s Escape Room, playing Payback in the Top Gun: Maverick cast, and Alison Brie’s love interest in Amazon’s Somebody I Used to Know.

Josh Gad

Starring as William Shakespeare is Josh Gad, who last worked with Mel Brooks on FX’s mockuseries The Comedians, on which he poked fun at his meteoric fame following his Tony-nominated performance in Broadway’s The Book of Mormon and scene-stealing role as Olaf in the Frozen frozen. The star and co-creator of Apple TV+’s Central Park also had a big year in 2017 with Murder on the Orient Express, Marshall, and playing LeFou in the live-action Beauty and the Beast remake, before playing Muncher in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and starring on Avenue Q for HBO.

Johnny Knoxville

After MTV’s Jackass and its subsequent movie spin-offs made him a star, Johnny Knoxville (who plays Rasputin in History of the World, Part II) went on to star in comedies like The Dukes of Hazzard and The Ringer and action movies like Dwayne Johnson’s Walking Tall. More recently, the prankster — also known for voicing Leonardo in the new, live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies — landed his first starring role on a TV series when he joined Hulu’s Reboot cast in 2022.  

Kumail Nanjiani

As the creator of the “Kama Soup-tra,” we have Kumail Nanjiani, who was already well on his way to becoming one of comedy’s biggest names (as co-host of Comedy Central’s The Meltdown) before he and spouse Emily V. Gordon earned Oscar nominations for writing The Big Sick. The Pakistani-born actor and Welcome to Chippendales cast lead has since joined the MCU (he was Kingo in the Eternals cast) and the Star Wars universe (played Haja Estree in the Obi-Wan Kenobi cast).

Seth Rogen

Playing Noah is Seth Rogen, who has previously crossed paths with most of his History of the World, Part II co-stars at least once since breaking out in the Freaks and Geeks cast (his first of many collaborations with Judd Apatow), such as Nick Kroll in Sausage Party and Big Mouth, Zazie Beetz on Invincible, and Ike Barinholtz in The Disaster Artist. The writer, director, producer, and actor has expanded his horizons wonderfully in recent years with more serious roles in films like Steve Jobs and Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, and TV shows like Pam & Tommy. 

Sarah Silverman

Rogen’s Funny People and Santa Inc. co-star and Jack Black’s School of Rock co-star, two-time Emmy-winner Sarah Silverman, had a short SNL stint and guest-starred on Seinfeld before becoming one of the most acclaimed comedians of her generation. Some of her best-known roles include Vanellope in the Wreck-It Ralph movies, Gladys Heldman in Battle of the Sexes, various characters on Bob’s Burgers, and fictionalized versions of herself on many occasions.  

J.B. Smoove

Seemingly poking fun at his Curb Your Enthusiasm character, Leon, in a History of the World, Part II segment called “Curb Your Judaism” (according to IGN’s review) is former SNL writer J.B. Smoove, who has appeared as a guest star or main player on numerous sitcoms over the years — most recently when he joined the Blockbuster cast for Netflix. In addition to memorable roles in movies like Pootie Tang and Date Night, he is also part of the MCU (having appeared in two Spider-Man movies).

Taika Waititi

Another an MCU star (from both in front of and behind the camera) in the History of the World, Part II cast (as Sigmund Freud) is Taika Waititi, who previously poked fun at history by playing an imaginary Hitler in Jojo Rabbit, which also earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, and Blackbeard in HBO’s Our Flag Means Death. He is also part of the Star Wars universe, having played a droid on The Mandalorian (which he also directed an episode of), the DC Extended Universe after playing the original Ratcatcher in The Suicide Squad, and more recently leant his voice to Pixar’s Lightyear cast as Mo.

Look out for other cast members — such as Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander, Emily Ratajkowski, Big Mouth’s Jason Mantzoukas, Jillian Bell, Jack White, and so many more — when you stream History of the World, Part II on Hulu. Be sure to do your homework by also checking out History of the World, Part I on Hulu, too.

The Jungle Cruise is one of Disneyland Resort's most iconic attractions. The ride was an opening day attraction at Disneyland in 1955, and while it has gone through a lot of changes over the decades (most notably becoming a lot more fun) it has always been popular among fans. It's popular enough that it spawned its own movie, and since Jungle Cruise 2 is reportedly in development, might I suggest they consider adding new Disney Legend Josh Gad because it turns out the guy knows his way around a Jungle Cruise pun.

Actor Josh Gad recently got to live out a dream by being a Jungle Cruise skipper and honestly, Disney should have hired him decades ago. In a new video from Disney Parks, Gad says he always wanted to be a skipper. And whether that's true or not, he's pretty damn good at the job, check it out.

Josh Gad would make a pretty solid Jungle Cruise skipper if that whole "professional actor and comedian" thing doesn't work out for him. He drops many of the classic Jungle Cruise puns that we know and love like he's been doing it for a long time. He even creates a couple of jokes of his own, including one that references Frozen 2, of course.

One area of the ride we don't get to see much of in the video is the new bit. Jungle Cruise was recently updated at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World and some of the attractions segments were changed. I guess Disney wants to get you to actually visit the parks to see what's new.  We do get to see him make the ride's most famous joke, revealing to the guests "the backside of water."

I feel like Josh Gad is so good at this that he needs to find an additional outlet for Jungle Cruise puns, so let's see about getting him added to the cast of the forthcoming sequel. Disney has announced that the movie version of Jungle Cruise, which starred Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt, will be getting a sequel. And a sequel always needs a few new cast members. If nothing else the movie will need a villain. How about one that drops bad puns as often as Dwayne Johnson's hero?

What Jungle Cruise 2 would actually be about is anybody's guess. One assumes we'll see Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt go in search of a new treasure by traveling down another major world river. The first movie was set on the Amazon River, and the Jungle Cruise attraction, between its multiple versions around the world, is set on numerous global rivers. 

Josh Gad clearly had fun on the Jungle Cruise, and even got a free Dole Whip out of the deal. He'll be back working with Disney before too long, on Frozen 3, since we know it's on the way, but Gad does a lot of work with Disney, so maybe a Jungle Cruise movie appearance isn't out of the question.

EGOT winner Mel Brooks has graced us with his witty comedic presence with a sequel series to one of his beloved movies, History of the World, Part I. This original Hulu series has an all-star cast willing to poke jabs at infamous moments in history. However, one Broadway musical creator has suspected this upcoming comedy series of ripping off his Shakespeare musical, and History of the World, Part II actor Josh Gad had a respectful exchange with him about this. 

Something Rotten! is a Broadway musical about two brothers in the 16th century who are having a hard time finding success in the theater world because of their competitor, William Shakespeare. One of its creators, John O’Farrell, had noticed in the newest History of the World, Part II trailer a scene where Josh Gad’s humorous version of William Shakespeare holds a meeting asking if they have any ideas for him, only for one man to suggest the use of songs to his plays. Then it cuts to a singing Stalin played by Jack Black showing off his musical chops. O’Farrell posted on Twitter that he felt this particular scene in the trailer was very similar to what was featured in his musical. 

The Tony Awards video featured the two brothers talking about the possibility of adding tunes to their plays and inventing something called “the musical.” While the idea seems outrageous, the scene transitions, of course, into an ear-catching song. So it’s understandable why O’Farrell would believe the similarities between History of the World, Part II’s trailer scene and his musical are uncanny. On the other hand, Josh Gad respectfully responded to this musical creator’s Twitter post that all of this is just a misunderstanding.

Well, there you have it. The blame for all of this confusion is just the way the Hulu series trailer is edited. The British musical writer ended the friendly exchange by thanking the Frozen voice actor for the clarification.

I'm so happy there’s no drama between these two. After all, one of the things we know about the Hulu comedy is Nick Kroll and the other writers all got together to make sure they can create an “open and honest” environment without worrying if something was overly offensive. Having to worry about a Broadway writer feeling his musical was being ripped off would absolutely fall into that category. This eight-episode series is sure to bring about many opportunities for laughs delivering awareness to humorous times that spanned across different periods of human history.

How very fortunate it was that Mel Brook’s new series did not, in fact, rip off Something Rotten!. As this talented filmmaker has been in the business for 75 years, he has all of the creativity in the world to come up with his own gags. You can find History of the World, Part II’s two-episode premiere on your Hulu subscription on March 6th, with two more episodes released every following day until March 9th. You can also take a look at our 2023 TV premiere dates so you’ll know what streaming series to add to your watchlist. 

This week, beloved actress Angela Lansbury passed away at 96. The veteran star amassed numerous credits over her 80-year career but was arguably most famous to the masses for her role in Disney's animated classic Beauty and the Beast and for leading the much-missed television series Murder, She Wrote. To say that Lansbury was an icon of the stage and screen would be an understatement. And since her passing was reported, many stars -- like Hugh Jackman and Josh Gad -- have paid tribute to her for her extensive contributions to the entertainment industry.

Hugh Jackman, who like Angela Lansbury has had a successful stage career, acknowledged how much she impacted the theater community. Lansbury won six Tony Awards over the course of her career for her performances in shows like Gypsy (1975) and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1979). Jackman paid tribute in a sweet post from his Instagram stories:

Josh Gad also paid tribute via Instagram as well. The Frozen star posted a sweet photo of himself and the late actress and also acknowledged the copious amount of impactful projects she participated in over the years. Take a look at the wonderful post down below:

Famed director and producer Judd Apatow also shared a picture t of himself with Angela Lansbury. It's a great selfie from the time when the dame saw Apatow perform comedy at Largo. Apatow notes how funny the Jessica Fletcher actress was when he met her. He clearly wasn’t the only one excited to meet the acting legend, either, as Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann, and director Paul Thomas Anderson can also be seen smiling in the precious photo:

Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis also honored Angela Lansbury in a wholesome tweet that exuded praise for her vast legacy. She reflected on Lansbury, who received an Honorary Oscar in 2014, with the words you can read down below:

Star Trek legend George Takei also added his voice to the chorus of praise for the Picture of Dorian Gray icon. He cited her work in Murder She Wrote, as well as her role as Mrs. Potts in Beauty in the Beast as stand-out performances. She clearly had a massive impact on several generations of actors:

It's honestly still hard to believe that Angela Lansbury is gone. As Viola Davis mentioned, it almost felt like she'd be one to live forever. Nevertheless, her legacy will surly live on in the hearts and minds of those who've been fortunate to see who work. And you can still check it out now. All twelve seasons of Murder, She Wrote are currently streaming for Peacock subscribers, and Disney+ subscription-holders can hear Lansbury's angelic voice in Disney’s animated Beauty and the Beast movies.

We here at CinemaBlend extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Angela Lansbury during this time.

Josh Gad has become a beloved figure within Hollywood, mainly due to his jovial nature and excellent performances, including his emotional and warm work as Frozen’s Olaf. What many likely also appreciate about the star is his openness when it comes to his professional decisions and personal life, even during tough times. Sadly, such a situation has come again, as Gad revealed via social media that he and his family have experienced an unfathomable loss. But amid the tragedy, the actor is also thanking fans for their support. 

A few days ago, the Beauty and the Beast alum took to his Twitter account to comment on the recent news regarding Roe v. Wade and, in the tweet, he mentioned that he and his family were dealing with an “unimaginable” loss. On Sunday, the actor returned to the platform and confirmed that his nephew had passed away at the age of 20. Though the sudden loss seems to be hard for him, it sounds like he’s drawing strength from the vast number of well wishes he’s received. Check out the post down below:

I honestly can’t even imagine being in Josh Gad’s shoes right now. Losing a loved one is usually always difficult, but it’s surely even harder due to the fact that the person who passed away was so young. It’s comforting to know that Gad and his loved ones have so many people in their corner at the moment, and it’s likely that additional words of support from fans will arrive in the immediate future. 

Josh Gad’s sentimentality is something that’s been very refreshing, and it’s been on display more than a few times over the past few years. In many cases, he’s taken time to pay tribute to others that have passed away and has sent his own condolences to their loved ones. This very thing happened when his friend and Marshall co-star Chadwick Boseman passed away in August 2020. Gad honored Boseman with a number of social media tributes, but one of the sweetest ways he paid tribute was with a video of them singing on the set alongside fellow co-star Sterling K. Brown.

That sweet nature also compelled him to do something fun for fans during the highly stressful COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Some may remember that he organized a number of sweet reunions featuring the casts of iconic films. The string of YouTube specials featured the Goonies cast, brought together the stars of Back to the Future and brought in the team from Ghostbusters.

At present, Josh Gad will likely be stepping away from his work in order to be there for his loved ones amid their loss. Hopefully, he’ll have all of the time he needs to process the situation before getting back to work.

We here at CinemaBlend extend our deepest condolences to Josh Gad and his loved ones during this time.

The biggest phenomenon in Frozen was its hit song, “Let It Go” which ended up becoming the most streamed Disney song of all time before Encanto’s “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” took its spot recently. And yet, somehow, one of the film’s stars, Josh Gad, has dodged learning all the lyrics to the hit song over the years. Yes, really. 

Josh Gad, of course, plays the snowman Olaf in the Frozen movies, subsequent shorts and 2021’s Olaf Presents miniseries, which was particularly “emotional” for the actor to record. When Gad was recently asked to sing “Let It Go” at a live performance in Carnegie Hall to pay tribute to writers Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, it apparently didn’t go well. In Gad’s words: 

When Josh Gad stopped by on Good Morning America to promote the third season of Central Park, he shared the funny story. However, he does have a good reason why not knowing the lyrics to the Frozen hit is OK. He continued: 

It’s true, when you have a talented singer as incredible as Idina Menzel, why would we want to hear anyone else sing it? It’s not Olaf’s song, and hearing the voice of the lovable snowman say the “cold never bothered me anyway” is kind of weird, y’all. Anyway, the live performance he was talking about happened last month and was in celebration of Lopezes. 

The other talents in attendance were Kristen Bell (who plays Princess Anna in the Frozen movies), along with Samantha Barks, Jennifer Barnhart, Kristen Bell, Jaime Camil, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada, Nikki M. James, Mykal Kilgore, Maggie Lakis, Caissie Levy, Rick Lyon, Rob McClure, Patti Murin, Andrew Rannells and Betsy Wolfe, all of whom have had connections to the Frozen and Book of Mormon songwriters. 

Frozen, of course, changed Josh Gad and the lives of all involved. Following the success of the 2013 Disney movie, a sequel was released in 2019. When asked about a third Frozen film, Gad said that while there are no plans for another one, he trusts that if the team behind the movies decided to make another film it would be for the right reasons. Frozen has a huge presence in the Disney Parks, including the House of Mouse’s upcoming plans to make a Frozen Land in Hong Kong. 

Josh Gad must see Frozen everywhere he goes. He did randomly walk into a doctor’s office that was ridden with Frozen posters once while taking his kid to get something looked at. The fact that he's gone so long without knowing the movie's biggest song by heart is honestly impressive. 

It’s been nine years since Disney’s Frozen touched our hearts when it played in theaters, and we just can’t let it go! This Best Animated Feature winner still has people singing the songs, and Frozen costumes are still big Halloween items. One of the most memorable characters from the movie has to be Olaf, the sweet and cuddly snowman who you just want to give a big hug. Well, Josh Gad, the actor who plays Olaf, cannot escape his iconic role, even at his kid’s doctor’s appointment, as he shared a funny moment he experienced when he was there.

You cannot help but love Olaf. His bright smile and loyalty to his friends can make any kid want an adorable snowman in their life. Josh Gad may have had roles in comedies before like The Rocker, The Internship, and Love & Other Drugs, but playing Olaf helped Gad rise to popularity with one of the most recognizable and gentle voices you’ve heard. It looks like his kid’s doctor’s office was happy to have Josh Gad make an appearance, as you'll see from the below tweet:

On Twitter, Josh Gad shared a photo of the Frozen film poster taped on the wall of the doctor’s office with the caption “When you take your kid to the doctor and they unironically put you in this room.” Coincidence? I think not!

The popularity of a movie can help increase the popularity of its stars. After all, Frozen was considered the highest-grossing animated film until it was dethroned by The Lion King remake. After millions of kids and adults watched Frozen, that made Josh Gad a star more prominent than he could have dreamed. However, getting the star treatment can have its downsides, like the time he took his kids to Disneyland and taught them about waiting in lines for rides instead of being spoiled by cutting. 

Josh Gad has also expressed his worries about his status can affect the safety of his children. That, unfortunately, is always the cost of fame when you cannot walk around a big theme park without worrying about what onlookers will do when they recognize you. That’s why Gad is teaching his kids about not being spoiled by giving them the same treatment that other kids would have at Disneyland- waiting very impatiently in line for their seat at the next main attraction.

Even though Frozen II came out three years ago, we still have not seen the last of sweet Olaf with Josh Gad’s voice to bring him to life. In Disney+’s Olaf Presents, The Book of Mormon actor reprised his role in a series of shorts of Olaf retelling classic Disney films. Gad felt like the experience of retelling classic moments from memorable Disney films was very emotional for him. Frozen is also getting its own land at Disney Parks in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong, so now people all over the world will know about our favorite snowman with a newfound appreciation of warm hugs. 

So the question is, will we get a third Frozen movie? Josh Gad honestly believes there's no need for a third movie, but that doesn't mean his co-stars share the same sentiment. For example, Jonathan Groff, who portrayed the voice of iceman Kristoff, believes in the possibility of a third movie. Whether or not there is a third movie, we’ll be sure to continue seeing Olaf charm and warm the hearts of audiences everywhere.

If you're like the fans (and clearly Josh Gad’s kid’s doctor) who cannot let go of Frozen just yet, you can watch the films and Disney+’s Olaf Presents on your Disney+ subscription.

In the past few years, we’ve been more closely examining the lack of inclusion in major Hollywood films, and since Walt Disney Studios is among the largest film houses, audiences have been waiting for more LGBTQ+ community inclusion. In 2017, the live-action Beauty and the Beast attempted to do this with Josh Gad’s LeFou, but the actor recently reflected on the film has determined that the move was not “enough.” 

At the time of the movie’s release, Josh Gad’s LeFou was touted as the character at the center of Disney’s first “exclusively gay moment.” However, it ended up being a pretty limp attempt at queer representation given that it amounted to LeFou dancing with a man for a few seconds at the end of the film. Gad shared his thoughts five years after the film’s release with the Independent, saying,

Josh Gad reportedly pitched the idea to make LeFou have a happy ending with a man in the film. But the move itself didn’t warrant any particular praise from the studio for including the LGBTQ+ community into the mix.  The actor continued,

And years later, not only is the Beauty and the Beast spinoff starring himself and Luke Evans cancelled for now, Disney has yet to give any character an explicitly queer story arc on the big screen. Disney has many  fans who are hoping Elsa gets a female love interest following “Let It Go” becoming a gay anthem, and, more recently, there were LGBTQ+ themes with Raya and the Last Dragon’s titular princess as well. The studio has been accused of queerbaiting. 

The studio did make a legitimate stride in representation when it comes to Marvel’s release of Eternals, where Brian Tyree Henry’s Phastos had a male love interest and shared a kiss with his partner during the film. (Plus, Phastos wasn’t solely defined by his sexual identity within the film.) On television, Disney Channel had its first leading LGBTQ+ couple on The Owl House, but sadly the series has already being cancelled.

It’s safe to say that Disney (and other Hollywood studios) have more growing to do when it comes to representing the LGBTQ+ community in major films and through significant characters. Josh Gad is able to reflect on this years later and realize that the LeFou moment was not much of a “moment” for the queer community.

Hopefully, we can look to a brighter future when it comes to representation in Disney movies. It’d be unrealistic for everyone to be straight, wouldn’t it? In the meantime, you can revisit Beauty and the Beast with a Disney+ subscription.

While the show goes on for the Academy Awards every year, for the past three years, the Oscars telecast have not had a host to help move the show along. For next month’s telecast, ABC has chosen three hosts in Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes, but as you can imagine, the Academy likely asked a lot of other big names. As Josh Gad has revealed, he was among the talented stars who asked to host, and he turned the gig down. 

Josh Gad is a gifted song-and-dance man who memorably voices Olaf in the Frozen movies and played Le Fou in the live-action Beauty and the Beast, along with starring in movies like Murder on the Orient Express and The Wedding Ringer, and being among The Book of Mormon’s original cast. On Twitter, Gad shared that the Academy reached out to him, but he declined. 

Josh Gad shared that he could have co-hosted the 2022 Oscars, but it “didn’t feel right.” He commended the Academy for trying something new with the show (following the ratings of the telecast continually dipping), but he’s not happy with one particular change that's being made this year. 

It was announced earlier this week that the 2022 Oscars will not air all award handouts among the 23 categories in the nominations. The telecast will be cutting Documentary Short, Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Original Score, Production Design, Animated Short, Live Action Short, and Sound from the ceremony. Josh Gad is just one of many people in the Hollywood industry who are unhappy with the Academy leaving these elements of the show out. 

It’s unclear whether the actor was aware of the show cuts when he passed on the hosting gig, but he’s far from the only Hollywood star who is saying no to the Academy. Lin-Manuel Miranda also shared that he passed on the opportunity prior. Additionally, many other people from the industry have commented on the show itself. Seth Rogen recently shared that he thinks it's ok that “people just don’t care” about the Oscars anymore. 

Decline in interest for the Oscars have been going on for years, with a couple of reasons having to do with the nominated movies being predictable and movies the general public doesn’t care about as much. The Oscars are responding to this by holding a Fan Favorite competition on Twitter that will be revealed during the telecast. Additionally, for years people have called out the show for being too white when it comes to the people in the industry being recognized. 

It certainly remains to be seen how the 94th Academy Awards will go this year. The 2022 Oscars will air on ABC on Sunday March 27. In the meantime, check out what upcoming movies are headed our way throughout the year. 

Movie musicals are having a moment. After the huge success of films like In the Heights, West Side Story (among 2021's many offerings in this genre) and the live version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, another giant musical could be headed to a theater (or streaming service) near you. At least, that’s what Josh Gad is certainly hinting at for The Book of Mormon, although that doesn't mean you should expect it to be available on Disney+.

In a recent tweet, Frozen star Josh Gad intimated that The Book of Mormon could be slated for a film release. Check out his message below: 

Obviously, Josh Gad’s tweet doesn’t confirm anything, but everyone knows people only say "asking for a friend" when they mean business. He claimed in a later tweet that there was "nothing in motion," but if The Book of Mormon was eyeing a film recording a la Hamilton, it wouldn’t be too crazy to ask one of the original stars to put out some feelers on social media. It’s also not like Gad wouldn’t have the time to head back to the Great White Way now that his Beauty and the Beast spinoff series has been shelved. 

Unlike that postponed series, however, The Book of Mormon probably wouldn't be welcome on Disney+. Most of Josh Gad’s famous projects have found a home on the streaming service, with many of them being musicals like Frozen, Frozen 2 and the live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. The subject matter of The Book of Mormon, on the other hand, is definitely not appropriate for Disney’s main target audience. Just how inappropriate, you ask? One of the song titles translates to a phrase involving an f-bomb, and the lyrics contain an invitation for God themself to perform an anatomically impossible act. 

Many users joked about the possibility of seeing a version of Book of Mormon on a notoriously family-friendly platform like Disney+, but something tells me the foul-mouthed musical that delights in gross-out humor would be amiss amongst the animated musicals and squeaky-clean Marvel properties. Nevertheless, many fans expressed a fervent desire to see more Broadway musicals like The Book of Mormon be made into movies, as it can be a huge challenge to make it to New York, let alone get there in time to see a show’s original cast before they move on to bigger and better things. 

Broadway producers have historically been hesitant to release filmed versions of their shows in the fear that such a move would dampen ticket sales. But after the Hamilton movie only heightened the demand for live tickets, it’s not crazy to envision a similar phenomenon surrounding a filmed version of The Book of Mormon. Whether it ever comes to fruition is up to Josh Gad and the theatrical powers that be. 

While we wait for The Book of Mormon to make its way to screens big and small, you can always stop by the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York City for a live performance. Can’t make it to the Big Apple? In the meantime, you can check out other musical films like Encanto and Hamilton with your Disney+ subscription or In the Heights when you subscribe to HBO Max. 

The Beauty and the Beast spinoff series Little Town has been in the ether since it was announced a few years ago. It seemed like everything was moving forward swiftly as it was reported that the prequel series had added several stars to its cast. But the project took an unexpected turn, as Disney+ announced the miniseries was being shelved for the time being. Upon hearing the news, some fans took to the internet to vocalize their sadness. After seeing fans’ displeasure, the show's co-lead, Josh Gad, took to social media to comfort them.

The Frozen star seemed just as heartbroken as fans when he gave his reaction to the news. Gad hopped on Twitter to let everyone know that the reports were true. Check out how Josh Gad broke the news while offering comfort to viewers:

The actor gave his followers more insight into what led to the series being put on hold for the time being. It appears behind-the-scenes issues were keeping the Beauty and the Beast spinoff series from reaching the quality the creatives felt devoted fans deserved. While some might see this development as the nail in the coffin, the Olaf actor reassured viewers about the Disney+ series’ future in a follow-up tweet:

At least Gad indicates that the door isn't totally closed. As reported by THR, the filming schedule delay and doubts over creative elements led to the prequel series being put on hold. The COVID pandemic and U.K. weather conditions were also to blame for the scheduling conflicts surrounding talent and production.

The Gaston and Lefou-centric series was first announced in 2020, with Josh Gad and Luke Evans attached to reprise their roles. After the announcement, Evans gave fans an update on the Beauty and the Beast spinoff’s progress, revealing he and Gad had read two to three episodes and heard new songs from Alan Menken. He left the series’ concept open, as he recalled fans’ affinity for the villainous duo. The Nine Perfect Strangers star couldn’t hide his excitement after giving an enthusiastic response to Briana Middleton joining the cast as Lefou’s stepsister. Evans appeared to be getting into top shape to play Gaston, as he posted a thirst trap showing off his unreal abs.

Maybe shelving the Disney+ series will cause the media company to shift plans and reconsider the much-talked-about Beauty and the Beast sequel. Beast himself Dan Stevens is open to it and even thought Little Town could’ve renewed interest in a potential sequel.

While Little Town is on ice for now, there are still plenty of Disney+ shows for viewers to watch. They can also find both the live-action and animated Beauty and the Beast adaptations and other movies on Disney+.

While Epcot is currently undergoing a massive update that will change a huge part of the park, all that work is currently going on in the front half, Future World. The World Showcase, following the recent addition of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, is being left  otherwise untouched, despite the fact that there has been unused space to add nation pavilions since the park’s creation. But Josh Gad and his family, recent Disney World guests, have a pretty excellent idea of what to do with some of that space, a Colombia pavilion that includes a ride through attraction based on Encanto.

According to Twitter, Josh Gad’s family has been mildly obsessed with Encanto since it dropped on Disney+ on Christmas Eve. According to social media, his family isn’t the only one. But Gad and co. want more Encanto in their lives, and for them that means a full Colombia area of Epcot and an Encanto attraction. And honestly, I’m here for it. 

This is actually a pretty great idea for a number of reasons. The most obvious being that South America is currently completely unrepresented within the World Showcase. There have been rumors of a Brazil pavilion being on the drawing board for years but they’ve never materialized. Even if they did, Brazil is so different from the rest of South America that it hardly represents the entire continent. At least one pavilion representing South America is really necessary if we’re going to call it a World Showcase, two would be better.

But if we do get a Colombia pavilion, it needs an attraction, and this one sort of builds itself. A ride-though attraction of the Casita makes so much sense. Imagine something not unlike the Haunted Mansion, but instead of ghosts, it shows off the magic of the house. This is also a perfect idea because Disney has built multiple iterations of the Haunted Mansion in the decades since Disney World opened, and they are significantly more advanced technologically. This would be a great way to bring some of these additions back to the domestic parks.

But it should be said that making a Colombia pavilion at Epcot isn’t the only way to bring Encanto into the parks. Some Disney Parks fans have suggested that an Epcot pavilion is too small. Instead, take the space at Disney’s Animal Kingdom currently given to Dinoland U.S.A, which is clearly in need of an overhaul, and create an entire land dedicated to South America.

As with Epcot, Animal Kingdom has no dedicated South America space, though it does have lands dedicated to Africa and Asia. Here they could add more animal enclosures and dozens of new species, and then also include a major attraction.

It will likely take time before we see anything permanent being added to the parks for Encanto if it ever happens at all. While the movie is hugely popular right now, Disney will want to be sure that interest will last and that fans will still want to experience this movie for years to come before even considering such a decision. And there are many other nations that fans have been lobbying to see in Epcot, so Colombia will have some competition.

At this point, Josh Gad is basically a walking Disney mascot. He's the voice of Olaf the snowman in Frozen. He played Le Fou in the live-action Beauty and the Beast. He's also shown up in numerous other Disney projects like the Artemis Fowl movie and he was even the narrator for The Magic of Disney's Animal Kingdom on Disney+. It only makes sense for him to go to Walt Disney World to celebrate the holidays, but as of yet he apparently hasn't had a run in with Olaf or any of his Disney alter-egos.

Josh Gad posted some images to Twitter yesterday showing that he and his family were visiting Disney World. He's got some great images, including himself and his daughter riding the Peoplemover, and great pics of his entire group on Main Street U.S.A. However, it's difficult not to notice that there are no pictures of a certain loveable snowman. 

There are so many opportunities for Josh Gad to come in contact with the various characters that he has played in Disney films, that not seeing this feels almost strange. At the same time, all these pictures are from Magic Kingdom, so it's possible Josh Gad simply hasn't made it over to see Olaf yet. 

The Frozen attraction, Frozen Ever After, is found at Epcot, and the Olaf character meet and greet, when it's available, is at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Since Disney World is  usually a multiple-day experience, Gad and company could be hitting those parks later. 

We've only seen one day worth of images and with a group that large they certainly aren't planning on only spending one day at Disney World. If you're the sort of person who uses Twitter to vicariously visit the parks when you can't do it (I certainly am) then there's a good chance we'll be seeing more theme park pics from Josh Gad over the next few days. So maybe he will say hi to Olaf before he leaves. If that doesn't work, then he just needs to book a trip to Paris or Hong Kong or Tokyo in a couple years. Those Disney Parks are currently building entire lands dedicated to Frozen. He'll certainly find Olaf there. 

Josh Gad did post one other tweet that at least did reference Olaf. He has a pretty funny exchange with Rapunzel on the subject of smolders. Being an expert, Rapunzel discusses the fundamental differences between Flynn Rider's smolder, and what a similar expression would look like coming from Olaf. 

I'm not sure there's such a thing as a bad time to visit Disney World, but there may be no better time than the holiday season. Seeing the parks covered in decorations simply adds to the feeling of magic. Experiencing that magic with your friends and family is equally special.