In this age of remakes, reboots, revivals, and regurgitated ideas, it seems as though any given studio is looking for some way to breathe life back into their most popular properties. Some of these attempted resurgences may not be particularly expected, however, like the developing sequel to A Christmas Story.
Holiday classic A Christmas Story will be the newest recipient of a long-belated sequel, titled A Christmas Story Christmas, thanks to a new deal between Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. The 2 companies have just struck an accord to create a new entry in the series that nobody knew was a series, and they're bringing back at least 1 familiar face. Peter Billingsley, who played main character Ralphie in the original film, has signed on to return to the role in the HBO Max sequel.
The plot will focus on a grown-up Ralphie in the 1970s. Decades after the first movie, he finds himself with a family of his own, and now he wants to bring them back to his old house on Cleveland Street in Indiana so he can recreate the magic of Christmas that he experienced growing up. He'll reconnect with old friends and deal with the loss of his father in what sounds like an interesting tonal whiplash, all the while trying to keep his childhood traditions alive for his kids.
Gran Torino writer Nick Schenk will pen the script, while The Angry Birds Movie director Clay Kaytis will take on directing duties. Billingsley is also on board to executive produce alongside Vince Vaughn as part of their production company Wild West Picture Show. Aside from Billingsley, no other casting decisions have been confirmed. However, Deadline sources suggest that Airplane star Julie Hagerty is in talks to star as Ralphie's mother.
This isn't actually the first sequel to A Christmas Story, as some might assume. The original film, proving to be a massive success, naturally inspired several follow-ups. This included Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss in 1988 (yes, that's the real title), My Summer Story in 1994, and 2012's famously disliked A Christmas Story 2. Each movie changed up the cast completely, with notable additions including Succession's Kieran Culkin as Ralphie in My Summer Story and Home Alone's Daniel Stern as Mr. Parker in A Christmas Story 2.
Whether the new sequel will follow in those movies' footsteps, or even acknowledge their existence, has yet to be seen. It's a big opportunity for either a new Christmas classic or grateful fodder for snarky film YouTubers, so it will be interesting to see how it turns out. Production on A Christmas Story Christmas is set to begin at the end of February in Bulgaria.
The A Christmas Story sequel is in development for HBO Max.
Source: Deadline