A Christmas Story is returning with original cast Peter Billingsley, who starred as Ralphie Parker when he was only 12. He will be returning to lead a sequel to the holiday favorite. The 50-year-old child star–turned–filmmaker will be reprising his role in the upcoming movie, which is expected to take place when Ralphie is an adult in the 1970s, as revealed by The Hollywood Reporter.
In addition to starring in the sequel to the 1983 classic titled A Christmas Story Christmas, Billingsley will produce for its production companies Legendary and Warner Bros. The Christmas Chronicles director Clay Kaytis will also return to direct the movie, which will be released on Warner’s HBO Max streaming service.
Billingsley will be joined by his longtime friend Vince Vaughn to produce A Christmas Story Christmas for their company Wild West Picture Show Productions. The original Christmas Story was an episodic period piece set sometime in the late 1930s to early 1940s that follows nine-year-old Ralphie as he navigates school and family relationships in a fictional Indiana town while dreaming of getting a Red Ryder BB rifle for Christmas.
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Meanwhile, in the “70s-set sequel, Ralphie will return home to his old house on Cleveland Street to give his own children the same kind of ‘magical Christmas” he experienced as a child. However, the original movie was lauded for its realistic production design, which impeccably matched the time period and the Midwestern setting, and the publication writes that the new movie will try to adopt a similar style.
Adult Ralphie will reunite with some of his childhood friends featured in the original movie while also trying to move on from the death of his father, often referred to as The Old Man in the original and played by Darren McGavin. A Christmas Story, which also starred Melinda Dillon as Ralphie’s mother, was initially only modestly successful and received mixed reviews upon its 1983 release.