Receiving a gift even better than a Red Ryder carbine-action, 200-shot range-model air rifle, fans of “A Christmas Story” learned Thursday that a sequel to the beloved holiday film is on the way.
Deadline reports that Peter Billingsley, who played young Ralphie in the 1983 original, is working on a deal to reprise the role as an adult in “A Christmas Story Christmas” for HBO Max.
Billingsley, who has become an accomplished producer and director with credits including “Iron Man” and “Couples Retreat,” also would produce.
The story picks up in the 1970s, when Ralphie decides to re-create his childhood Christmas for his own kids. That brings him back to the old family home in Hohman, Indiana (the fictional town based on Hammond, Indiana, where “A Christmas Story” creator and narrator Jean Shepherd grew up).
Directing will be Clay Katis, who developed his yuletide chops as the director of Netflix’s well-received Santa film “The Christmas Chronicles.”
