A short teaser for the much-anticipated A Christmas Story sequel, which has been aptly titled A Christmas Story Christmas, has been released by HBO Max ahead of the project’s November release.
Loosely based on the works In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash and Wanda Hickey's Night of Golden Memories And Other Disasters from American author, actor, and media personality Jean ‘Shep’ Shepherd, A Christmas Story uses a series of vignettes and narration by an adult Ralphie Parker to tell the story of what he identifies as the best Christmas present he has ever or will ever receive. The film has since become a holiday classic, and the A Christmas Story sequel announcement in January with the original star reprising his role excited many fans.
After months of anticipation, a short official A Christmas Story Christmas teaser was released by HBO Max to promote the November release of the sequel. The teaser begins with flashing images of the iconic home from the original movie, moving first from the exterior to the attic set within the house and interlaced with title cards informing viewers of the impending sequel debut. It then focuses on an old black-and-white photo of a young Ralphie before switching to the grown-up version of the character putting on his iconic glasses before the teaser shifts away to show his smile. The entire video is backed by appropriately Christmas-themed music accentuated by voice lines from the original movie and then closes out with HBO's usual promotional template, this time showing content for the streaming service’s incredibly popular show House of the Dragon.
The A Christmas Story Christmas trailer also reminds fans that the sequel will be exclusive to HBO Max, a streaming service that already enjoys a fine selection of Christmas movies in its catalogue. While there are few confirmed details about the plot and format of the project, it has been revealed that Ralphie Parker will be on a quest to give his own kids an experience similar to the one he enjoyed on the specific Christmas chronicled in the original film. The film will also be set in the '70s, several decades after the events of the original '40s-based film, giving audiences a period-piece feel that’s sure to accentuate the movie.
The original A Christmas Story never waned in popularity, still being aired marathon-style on multiple platforms around the holidays. Fans of the original were elated to discover that Peter Billingsley would be reprising his role as Ralphie Parker, now playing the part of the grown-up narrator from the original film, and were even more delighted when more original cast members were confirmed for the Christmas Story sequel. The original movie was also well-loved for its historical accuracy in set design, which will be interesting to see applied after the 30-year time skip between the two projects.
A Christmas Story's original director Bob Clark unfortunately passed in 2007 and is fondly remembered for several of Canada’s most successful movies, including two separate and vastly different Christmas projects. In his place, The Christmas Chronicles director Clay Kaytis was tasked with directing the sequel. While Kaytis is talented, whether or not he will be able to live up to the legacy of such a well-loved holiday special is yet to be seen.
A Christmas Story Christmas will debut for streaming on HBO Max on November 17, 2022.
Source: HBO Max/ YouTube