A Christmas Story Christmas (sequel to A Christmas Story)

[BluBonnet]

‘A Christmas Story’ Sequel Set With Original Star Peter Billingsley

Christmas has come early for Legendary and Warner Bros.

The two companies are gearing up to make a sequel to the yuletide holiday classic, A Christmas Story, closing a deal for Peter Billingsley, the child star of the original 1983 movie, to topline and produce.

Titled A Christmas Story Christmas, the feature will be directed by Clay Kaytis, who already tackled the snowy holiday season with The Christmas Chronicles for Netflix and has a script by Nick Schenk, the writer behind recent Clint Eastwood movies such as Gran Torino and The Mule, sitting under the leg lamp.

While the original movie followed Ralphie, a nine-year old boy who desperately wanted a Red Ryder BB rifle and was set in 1940, the new story will take place in the 1970s and sees an adult Ralphie return to his house on Cleveland Street to deliver his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had growing up.

The studio is hoping to recreate the same real-life tone of the first movie to show the now-father reconnect with childhood friends, reconcile the passing of his Old Man, and callbacks to the initial film.

Production begins February in Hungary.

Billingsley, as an adult, has focused on a behind the camera career. He was a producer on the Broadway Musical adaptation of Christmas Story, which received three Tony nominations, as well as on Jon Favreau’s culinary-themed acting talk show Dinner for Five. He is also an exec producer with Vaughn on Netflix’s animated F is for Family and directed the Universal comedy Couple Retreat.

Kaytis began his career in the animation world, working on Disney’s Frozen and Wreck-It Ralph, and co-directed The Angry Birds Movie.

Billingsley is repped by attorney Mitch Smelkinson while Kaytis by UTA, Artists First, and Binder Weston. Schenk is repped by Management 360 and Lichter Grossman.

[kylor]

Will the sequel to this sequel be called "A Christmas Story Christmas Story"?

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by kylor

Will the sequel to this sequel be called "A Christmas Story Christmas Story"?

I would certainly expect as much from WB!!

[mwynn]

Originally Posted by kylor

Will the sequel to this sequel be called "A Christmas Story Christmas Story"?

A Christmas Story Christmas

[kylor]

Originally Posted by mwynn

A Christmas Story Christmas

A Christmas Story Christmas Story Christmas Story Part II.

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by kylor

A Christmas Story Christmas Story Christmas Story Part II.

Sounds like a REQUEL.

[slumcat]

I have literally no idea what this franchise is.

[HorrorBlu]

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by HorrorBlu

Not a real sequel, I guess

[Katatonia]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Not a real sequel, I guess

It was a real DTV sequel... just all different actors. Ralphie as a teenager basically, but all the same characters.

It was actually surprisingly pretty decent. Nowhere near as good as the original of course, but I liked it more on a 2nd viewing.

[Torgon]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Not a real sequel, I guess

For those that don’t know, Jean Shepherd had a lot of his stories about Ralphie made into movies/TV series. Before Billingsley played Ralphie, another up a coming star played him in a series on PBS. Matt Dillon was a teenage Ralphie in one of them.

A blurb from Wikipedia (to keep me from typing):
PBS aired several television movies based on Shepherd stories, also featuring the Parker family. These included The Phantom of the Open Hearth (1976), which aired as part of the anthology series Visions; The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters (1982) and The Star-Crossed Romance of Josephine Cosnowski (1985), both as part of the anthology series American Playhouse; and Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss (1988), a co-production with The Disney Channel. All were narrated by Shepherd, but otherwise featured different casts.

So it isn’t the unheard of to see more of Ralphie on screen; most are just unaware. I’m not saying any of those shows are better than A Christmas Story, ( they are not) but they are legit. I have copies of most of the series on DVD (transferred from VHS (rough)). Some of the same ‘gags/story elements’ in the original series again replayed in ACS. Interesting to watch, but may spoil what you love about ACS.

[A Sith Lord?]

Originally Posted by HorrorBlu

Different cinematic universe.

[WonkaBedknobs83]

A costume depicting the Fred Moore re-design of Mickey Mouse with more realistic-looking eyes instead of the button eyes of the original design also makes 1939 the earliest year it could have theoretically taken place in. The latest date it could have taken place is 1941 because the Little Orphan Annie radio show ended in 1942 (on Carol Burnett's birthday, no less). If it was 1941, war would have been all over the news because the bombing of Pearl Harbor happened weeks before Christmas.

Originally Posted by HorrorBlu

They need A Christmas Story Yom Kippur to atone for that and for ignoring the actually good sequel made by MGM in their 1990s receivership years: My Summer Story, aka It Runs in the Family. That might have done better if it had actually gotten booked in more places. I didn't even know it existed until it was already on video. This doesn't even get the perfunctory theatrical release that got!

Still, I'll check this new film out. At least it was done for more than just cash-grab reasons.

[Mikezilla3k]

I mean, I'd say "Not again...." but having Peter Billingsley returning does pique my interest.

Can't be as bad as...................whatever the faq Warner Premier shat out in 2012.

[spaceball-one]

Must be tough for Ralphie to go back home after the suicide of Scott Farkus, not to mention he still hasn't come to grips with Flick and Schwartz coming out as a couple.

[Torgon]

The boys (Ralphie and friends) are still alive. You could easily have cameos. Mom is alive as well. If done in the same vein as the original, it might not be bad. Not sure what is available, but it would be good to gleen as much from Jean Shepherd’s writings to see would good be used to build this story to stay true. Hope it works out.

[Lee A Stewart]

Is this really necessary?

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Is this really necessary?

Ask WB and Legendary. It's their money

[Lee A Stewart]

Originally Posted by BluBonnet

Ask WB and Legendary. It's their money

Like both of them have a stellar financial record making money at the BO on all their films

[BluBonnet]

Originally Posted by Lee A Stewart

Like both of them have a stellar financial record making money at the BO on all their films

You don't have to convince me, you have to convince them