The sequel begins streaming Nov. 17 on HBO Max.
Christmas came early by virtue of the new trailer for the A Christmas Story sequel!
A Christmas Story Christmas (set to begin streaming Nov. 17 on HBO Max) stars Peter Billingsley reprising his iconic role as Ralphie, who is now an adult and a struggling writer and the head of the Parker household after his dad (Old Man Parker, portrayed by the late Darren McGavin) dies.
Set in the 1970s in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, the new film pays homage to the original 1983 holiday cult classic, and the signs are pretty much everywhere in the nearly two-minute trailer. The film pays a sweet tribute to McGavin when Ralphie, as an adult, meets up with his childhood friends, Flick (Scott Schwartz) and Schwartz (R.D. Robb), at Flick's Tavern where they toast to the Old Man.
"One day, you're playing kick the can with kids named Flick and Schwartz, and the next thing you know, you're a certified adult," Ralphie says in a voiceover.
Ralphie finds it daunting to give his family a memorable Christmas, but he sets out to do just that.
In a nod to the original film, Ralphie takes his family to Higbee's, the now-defunct department store where Ralphie, as a child, encountered a disgruntled Santa Claus and his very angry elves. In the original movie, Ralphie gets kicked in the face by Santa Claus, sending the kiddo sliding down the iconic red slide that exists to this day in the house where the original movie was filmed. The house is now a museum.
In the new trailer, adult Ralphie offers his kids some sage advice: "Don't let him kick you in the face!"
Everyone remembers in the original film Flick getting triple-dog-dared to stick his tongue on a frozen flagpole. But this time, in the new film, it's Schwartz who gets triple-dog-dared to hop on a sled and ride down a steep ramp.
Billingsley stars and and produces the sequel, with Nick Schenk (Gran Torino, The Mule, Cry Macho) executive producing. Schenk also co-wrote the script with Clay Kaytis (The Christmas Chronicles, The Angry Birds Movie), who serves as the film's director. Billingsley and his longtime friend, Vince Vaughn, also serve as executive producers through their Wild West Picture Show productions company. Cale Boyter and Jay Ashenfelter will oversee for Legendary.
A Christmas Story, released in 1983, was set in the 1940s, with Ralphie on a mission to get his hands on a Red Ryder BB rifle. Billingsley was only 12 when A Christmas Story premiered in theaters. He's now 51, and a successful Hollywood producer.
He also produced the Broadway musical A Christmas Story the Musical, which earned three Tony Award nominations. Along with Vaughn and their production company, Billingsley also produced The Break-Up, Four Christmases, Couples Retreat and F is for Family.
A Christmas Story Christmas streams Nov. 17 on HBO Max.
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