A Christmas Story Is Getting A Sequel With Peter Billingsley Returning As Ralphie

Hold onto your leg lamps and protect them with your very life! Legendary and Warner Bros. are giving us a sequel to "A Christmas Story"! 

This is not a drill! The classic 1983 film which I absolutely watch every single year is getting a new chapter, according to The Hollywood Reporter. This film will be called "A Christmas Story Christmas," and a deal is reportedly closing for star of the original film, Peter Billingsley, to play the lead and produce. 

"A Christmas Story Christmas" will be directed by Clay Kaytis ("The Christmas Chronicles," "The Angry Birds Movie") and the script comes to us from Nick Schenk ("Gran Torino," "The Mule"). I will give you a synopsis of the original film, but if you haven't watched it, you really must rethink your life choices. 

In "A Christmas Story," which is set in the 1940s, a young boy named Ralphie (Billingsley) is desperate to get a Red Ryder BB gun and must battle disapproving family, school, bullies, and more to do so. He faces a chorus of people telling him, "You'll shoot your eye out," as well as a very upsetting department store Santa Claus and his elves. 

There was apparently a live musical version of the movie on Fox, and I've included a little number from it below. That's all I'm going to say about that.

In the sequel, an adult Ralphie heads back to the house he shared with his family on Cleveland Street, "to deliver his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had growing up." THR reports that his visit will allow him to "reconnect with childhood friends, reconcile the passing of his Old Man," and will include "callbacks to the initial film." Leg lamp? How will they bring back the leg lamp? They have to find a way, right? Tell me they have to find a way! 

No news yet on which of the original actors who are still around will be appearing. The original film was based on Jean Shepherd's book "In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash." Shep, as he was called, narrated the film as the adult Ralphie. Sadly, he passed away in 1999. 

There was a sort of sequel to the original film back in 1994 called "My Summer Story," which takes place in the summer after the events of "A Christmas Story," and was directed by Bob Clark, who also directed the first film. Shep narrated that one, as well, with Charles Grodin playing the Old Man, Mary Steenburgen playing Mrs. Parker, and Kieran Culkin as Ralphie.

There was also a direct-to-DVD sequel that takes place six years after the original film. I will let our own BJ Colangelo tell you about that in her article about Christmas films that didn't need a sequel. 

Production of "A Christmas Story Christmas" will begin next month in Hungary.