Although Home Alone fans have been patiently awaiting Macaulay Culkin‘s return for nearly 35 years, it might take a Christmas miracle to get director Chris Columbus to reboot the franchise.
The Oscar nominee, who directed the 1990 holiday classic and its sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992), recently shot down hopes of an official third installment in the beloved films, which were penned by John Hughes.
“I think Home Alone really exists as, not at this timepiece, but it was this very special moment, and you can’t really recapture that. I think it’s a mistake to try to go back and recapture something we did 35 years ago,” Columbus told ET. “I think it should be left alone.”
The comment comes after Culkin reportedly teased fans about potentially reprising his role as Kevin McCallister, noting at a December screening and Q&A that he would consider returning to the franchise if the pay was enough. He also said he was offered a role in one of the more recent sequels.
“I have ideas, but I don’t have time to write anything with my two children,” said Culkin.
In Home Alone, 8-year old Kevin (Culkin) is accidentally abandoned by his family when they go on vacation to France and leave him at home. Meanwhile, he comes up with a series of traps to defend his homestead against a pair of thieves.
Following Lost in New York, the franchise continued with other child actors in Home Alone 3 (1997), Home Alone 4 (2002), Home Alone: The Holiday Heist (2012) and Home Sweet Home Alone (2021).
In 2018, Ryan Reynolds was attached to produce an R-rated reboot at Fox entitled Stoned Alone, which has since ended up in development hell.
