So much for those rumours placing Macaulay Culkin back in the McAllister
household (in a sequel to the original “Home Alone” that would’ve had
the filthy rich former child star play father to a mischievous youngster
like the one he played in Chris Columbus’s original; still, never know,
it could happen. Did anyone think a fourth “American Pie” would happen,
with the original cast, after all those direct-to-video spin-off
movies!?). The next “Home Alone” won’t be a big screen venture with any
original players (and likely no Wet Bandit).
“Home Alone 5″, like
the previous installment in the kid-vs.-crooks film series, is being
produced for television. But unlike that awful fourth installment , ABC
Family have gone out of their way to place the project in the hands of
some talented folks – if only because even studio execs dislike hate
mail.
Veteran producer Dennis Stuart Murphy, whose credits
include the Kazui’s “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” flick, “Powder” and
“Friday the 13th Part 2″, is behind the project, and he’s capable of
doing solid stuff, but it’s TV scribes Aaron Ginsburg and Wade Mcintyre
of “The Finder” and “The Good Guys” being on writing duties (Assumingly,
the duo’s relationship with Fox got them the job on “Home Alone”) that
really solidifies confidence in the project.
The duo have a knack
for writing interesting, very funny and witty characters so hopefully
they can bring some life back into the John Hughes created movie series.
The
project is in active development as we speak, with Ginsburg and
Mcintyre writing the sequel script concurrently with their duties on
“Bones” spin-off “The Finder”.
Director and Cast beseeched shortly.
The
script for “Home Alone” is said to fix on not one boy, but two this
time, who take on art thieves in their lavish family home. In an
interesting twist, the siblings believe they’re protecting their house
against evil spirits or ghosts.
The film will air on ABC Family –
who actually do some pretty decent stuff, including “Greek” and “The
Secret Life of the American Teenager” – over the 2012 silly season.
That
first “Home Alone”, released to mucho successo in 1990, was an
absolutely lovely movie. I remember going to catch it at the cinema on a
Sunday afternoon – - and only because there wasn’t much else on that
weekend. I was truly taken back by just how funny, warm and infectious
that film was, and of course the performances of the cast (Culkin, of
course, but also Catherine O’Hara, Daniel Stern, Joe Pesci and a
scene-stealing John Candy; Oh, and not to forget the wonderful Roberts
Blossom as the old man Kevin befriends) were stupendous. They don’t even
make movies like “Home Alone” anymore – family films that are devoid of
special effects and animatronics. Sad thing. Maybe Ginsburg and
Mcintyre can light the fires on the “Home Alone” franchise again with
this TV sequel, ultimately pathing the way for the series’ ultimate big
screen return.
