on TBS. 2. At least one ugly Old Navy sweater under my tree. 3. Bad Santa
. The filthy R-rated Christmas comedy is one of the few holiday flicks good enough to be watched year 'round, and a damn sight better than any of the recent offerings we've seen. Despite a rash of negative publicity from a bunch of losers with sticks wedged up their tight butts, the film was a modest hit at the time, but has become a cult favorite ever since. Talk of a sequel has been rampant ever since, with it amping up over the last couple of years. The Weinstein Company had it on their list of questionable sequels based on old Miramax hits, and back in March Billy Bob Thornton was said to be in talks to return. Dimension Films is handling the production of the comedy, and they seem to be taking no chances in ensuring it's success. The LA Times(via ThePlaylist) is noting that they've commissioned not one but two scripts to be written for the sequel, one by Johnny Rosenthal, the other by John Phillips. The writers will essentially be competing against one another, with the winning draft getting produced. The other script may have elements of it used for a third film if warranted.
This would seem to be the prime time to get Bad Santa 2 off the ground, with 2011 being one of the most lucrative years for R-rated comedies ever. So it would be in everybody's interest to fast track this thing. The only question is what form the story would take. Much of the cast of the original has unfortunately passed on, like John Ritter and Bernie Mac. Terry Zwigoff(Ghost World
) has been off the grid for five years, and writers John Requa and Glen Ficarra(I Love You Phillip Morris
) have moved on to green pastures.
