Is Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire?

The Ghostbusters are back in action, and a slew of familiar faces are returning for Frozen Empire, but does Rick Moranis make an appearance in the new movie?

If you’re not a huge fan of the Ghostbusters movies (or if you have no taste), you might not remember Moranis’ role in the comedy-horror movie. He played Louis Tully, a neighbor of Dana Barrett who was pulled into the spooky goings-on because he made the unfortunate mistake of living in 550 Central Park West.

After turning into a Devil Dog and allowing Gozer to enter our dimension, Louis was saved from his beastly form by the combined efforts of the Ghostbusters. Louis was so grateful that he ended up working as the Ghostbusters accountant, and eventually, he even became an honorary fifth member of the team (the sixth member, if you count Annie Potts, and I do).

Sadly, Louis didn’t make an appearance in Ghostbusters Afterlife, but that made sense, considering the film wasn’t set in New York. Still, Frozen Empire is taking us back to the Big Apple, so Louis could finally return. So, does Rick Moranis make an appearance in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Warning: if you’re planning on seeing the film (if you’re on the fence, our Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire review should help you out), there are spoilers ahead.

Is Rick Moranis in Ghostbusters Frozen Empire?

Sony Pictures

No, Rick Moranis isn’t in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, nor do any of the characters mention Louis or what happened to him.

While that’s probably because Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan didn’t want to spike a potential appearance down the line, it does lead us to some pretty sad conclusions about poor Louis. The last time we saw the neurotic accountant, he was riding on a high, with the people of New York believing he was the one responsible for shattering the mood slime encasing the New York Art Museum.

Not only that, but he was also in a relationship with Annie Potts, so things were going pretty well for the sad sack. Unfortunately, during the events of Frozen Empire, Louis is nowhere to be seen, so things either don’t work out for him and Annie, or he’s out of town. We’re hoping for the latter and that he’ll make an appearance in the next Ghostbusters movie.

The real-world reason for Louis’s absence, though, probably has more to do with Moranis. The star took an extended hiatus from acting following the death of his wife. “I’m a single parent, and I just found that it was too difficult to manage to raise my kids and to do the traveling involved in making movies,” he explained to USA Today. “So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it.”

Thankfully, that hiatus is now at an end, and it was announced in 2020 that he was ready to return to acting, lining up a role in the upcoming Disney movie Shrunk, a sequel to Honey I Shrunk the Kids, although it hit some production issues. Still, it proves that Moranis is willing to work again, so who knows? Maybe we’ll see Lewis again soon.

Gil Kenan’s keen to have him back, telling us in an interview that he’d love to see Louis return in a hypothetical sequel.

If you feel the need to bust some ghosts, check out our guide explaining how to watch Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. There’s alsoo our article explaining whether Sigourney Weaver is in Frozen Empire, if Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire has a post-credit scene, and finally, we’ve even written a Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ending explained.

Looking for something new to watch, we recommend checking out our guides to all the new movies coming to streaming this month. Also, if you’re a fan of ’80s remakes, be sure to check out our guides on the Beetlejuice 2 release date and learn everything we know about Top Gun 3.