GET READY FOR “A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS” FROM WARNER BROTHERS AND LEGENDARY!
Article by Adam Mast
Why this project is being announced a month after Christmas is beyond me but it appears that Peter Billingsley will be reprising his iconic role as Ralphie Parker in A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS for CHRISTMAS CHRONICLES director, Clay Kaytis. The movie will take place in the 70s and find a now-adult Ralphie returning to his old stomping grounds in Cleveland where he will reconnect with childhood friends, spend time with his mother (while not confirmed, AIRPLANE!’s Julie Hagerty is said to be playing a role made famous by a motherly Melinda Dillon), reconcile with the passing of his Old Man, and give his own children the same kind of magical Christmas he had as a child. The script was written by Nich Schenk, who’s most known for his recent collaborations with the legendary Clint Eastwood (CRY MACHO, THE MULE, and GRAN TORINO.)
As is the case with many a fan, my love for A CHRISTMAS STORY runs incredibly deep. So deep, in fact, that despite having nearly zero theater experience in my adult life, I agreed to direct a community production of “A Christmas Story: The Musical” back in 2017. Thanks to a very supportive cast and crew, I didn’t shoot my eye out.
Yes, the original film from 1983 (which was based on Jean Shepherd’s wonderfully vibrant memoirs) is an all-timer for me (as my family can attest) and it’s such a perfect “lightning in a bottle” experience…Such a near-perfect representation of the rambunctious spirit of youth, that it almost seems unfathomable for me to imagine that someone would attempt to try and rekindle that magic. It should also be noted that even original A CHRISTMAS STORY director Bob Clark would go on to adapt a “sort of” sequel in the form of 1994’s virtually-ignored MY SUMMER STORY (aka, IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY.) Truth be told, that movie was actually fairly amusing but it’s clear it had far too much to live up to and in the end, it simply didn’t connect with audiences in the same way.
Years later, Daniel Stern of HOME ALONE fame would star in A CHRISTMAS STORY 2, a film that was rightfully ignored.
In reality, the news of this upcoming film isn’t entirely surprising, particularly given the popularity of legasequels these days, but yikes… The team behind this movie have enormous shoes to fill.
No release date is set as of yet, but with production set to begin in February, it is possible we could see A CHRISTMAS STORY CHRISTMAS on HBO Max during the 2022 holiday season.
More news as it becomes available.
