The first teaser for HBO Max’s A Christmas Story sequel triple dog dares you not to bask in the nostalgia.
Set for release on Thursday, Nov. 17, A Christmas Story Christmas sees Peter Billingsley, now 51, reprise his role as Ralphie Parker. The above footage shows the former child star slip on Ralphie’s signature glasses — but not before we’re treated to a tour of the Parkers’ living room, which looks exactly the same as it did in the original 1983 film. We even get a glimpse of the lampshade that came with the Old Man’s extremely fragile leg lamp!
In A Christmas Story Christmas, an adult Ralphie “returns to the house on Cleveland Street to deliver his kids a magical Christmas like the one he had growing up,” according to the official logline. “With the same attention-to-real-life tone of the first, Ralphie reconnects with childhood friends, reconciles the passing of his Old Man and sows the seeds for the origins of the beloved holiday classic.”
In addition to Billingsley, the ’70s-set followup features original film stars Ian Petrella (Randy), Zack Ward (Scut Farkus), Scott Schwartz (Flick) and R.D. Robb (Schwartz). The cast also includes Erinn Hayes (Childrens Hospital, Kevin Can Wait) as Ralphie’s wife, River Drosche (Miracle Workers) and Julianna Layne (Prodigal Son) as their son and daughter, and Julie Hagerty (Airplane!), who is reportedly playing Ralphie’s mom — a role originally played by Melinda Dillon.
The original Christmas Story was only a modest box office success upon its initial theatrical release. But over time, the film — about a young boy who so desperately wanted an official Red Ryder carbine action, 200-shot range model air rifle for Christmas — became a cult classic, thanks in part to TBS’ annual, 24-hour marathon, which starts on Christmas Eve and ends the following night, on Dec. 25.
The film spawned a theatrical sequel, the 1994 box office bomb It Runs in the Family, which featured none of the original cast and was retitled My Summer Story upon its 2006 DVD release. There was also a direct-to-video sequel, 2012’s A Christmas Story 2, which ignored the events of It Runs in the Family.
The original movie also spawned a 2000 stage play and a 2012 Broadway show. The latter, a musical, was eventually adapted for television as A Christmas Story Live!, which originally aired on Fox in 2017.
Press PLAY on the teaser trailer, then hit the comments and tell us if you’ll looking forward to the release of A Christmas Story Christmas.