From Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max comes the family comedy A Christmas Story
Christmas, the very, very long-awaited follow-up to annual holiday favorite, A Christmas Story.
This time, Ralphie is all grown up and must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it…as a dad. Peter Billingsley returns to the role that has made kids of all ages anticipate Christmas morning like no other.
Starring alongside Billingsley as Ralphie Parker are Erinn Hayes (Bill & Ted Face the
Music) as Ralphie’s wife, Sandy; Julianna Layne (Prodigal Son) as their daughter, Julie; River Drosche (Miracle Workers) as son Mark; Scott Schwartz returning as Flick; RD Robb returning as Schwartz; Ian Petrella reprising his role as Ralphie’s brother, Randy; Davis Murphy (Looking for Dr. Love) as Delbert Bumpus; with Zack Ward returning as Scut Farkus; and Julie Hagerty (Instant Family) as Ralphie’s mom, Mrs. Parker.
So, what took so long? “There was a lot of conversation about doing a sequel much closer to when the original film came out in 1983,” Billingsley remembers. “And then, of course, in the early ‘90s… Eventually it seemed like a distant memory, like we’d never be able to do it. But here we are, Ralphie is all grown up, he has his own family, and it’s an opportunity to really take what was so great from the first one and bring so much of that magic back but with a whole new perspective. You see what his dreams are, where his life is now, who his family is. In some ways, waiting this long makes it all the more special because there were so many new characters that we could bring in, and so many of the old fan favorites that we got to explore as well. Always in the back of my mind I’d hoped that this day would come.”
Director Clay Kaytis came on board to helm the film despite his original hesitation that
almost prevented him from reading the script. “I received the script and I decided that I was not going to read it because I loved the original movie so much and I thought, ‘There’s no way they could write a movie that will live up to the original.’ Then my wife, who’s a producer, read it for me and she said, ‘This is your next movie,’ so I read it and they had done a really amazing job of figuring out how to craft a follow-up to the story that really integrates everything I loved about the first movie; that was a huge priority for me. Peter and Nick Schenk really figured out a way to make it work, so I went to Legendary and I said to them, ‘I need to direct this movie,’ and luckily they gave me a shot.”
Billingsley reflects on the new film coming just in time to kick off the holiday season, which,
to him and his fellow cast and crew, is itself a long-desired gift. “Christmas is a magical day for families. Kids look forward to it, and the truth is adults look forward to it, too. It is unlike any other feeling, I think, that day. Families are together and there’s nothing that’s more important than that, than being present and grateful for the things that you have. So much of this movie is just that, this magical, fun and uniquely funny Christmas story, with the beauty of the cinematography and design creating that visual sense that feels familiar and evokes those feelings that we all have on Christmas, that no matter how bad things are, it’s Christmas and you’re with the people you love, and there’s no better place to be.”
The film will debut on HBO Max on November 17, 2022. Check out the trailer below.
