A Christmas Story Christmas Trailer Released

'Christmas Story' sequel features many returning cast members, including Peter Billingsley as Ralphie
By Mike L. Ford,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 1, 2022 5:50 PM CDT

HBO Max has released the official trailer for A Christmas Story Christmas, a sequel to 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story, per Deadline. Not to be confused with previous and perhaps easily forgotten sequels—including My Summer Story and A Christmas Story 2the latest installment features many returning cast members, starting with Peter Billingsley, aka Ralphie Parker, who wanted nothing more than a Red Rider BB gun in the original movie, set in 1940. The sequel, set in 1973, has Ralphie returning to his boyhood home on Cleveland Street following the recent death of his father, "the Old Man."

In the trailer, Ralphie—now married with a family of his own—promises his mother (played by Julie Hagerty) that he will do his part "to make this a wonderful Christmas." Subsequent scenes in the trailer imply that it won’t be easy to keep that promise. In an interview with People, Billingsley, 51, said his character Ralphie is "not really where he wants to be in his life, but he's still a dreamer, so he still has these fantasies of what his life could be, where it could go … And then he's called home with some real responsibilities and burdens."

Other returning cast members including Zack Ward as Scut Farkus, the fur-capped bully, and Ian Petrella as Ralphie’s brother, Randy. Scott Schwartz also returns as Flick (the kid who licked a frozen flagpole). The film—produced by Warner Bros and directed by Clay Kaytis (The Christmas Chronicles)—debuts Nov. 17 on HBO Max. Like the original movie, it was inspired by Jean Shepherd’s 1966 book In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash. As Variety notes, the original received lukewarm reviews and was viewed as a failure at the box office, but it has since become an annual TV tradition in many American households. (More A Christmas Story stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X