Despite talk of the film gearing back up last year when Hot Tub Time Machine**’s Steve Pink seemed likely to hop on board for re-scripting and directing duties, it’s mostly been tumbleweeds on the Bad Santa 2 front. So we’re getting our pinches of salt ready for word that Entourage creator Doug Ellin is busy cranking out a new draft that he intends to direct.
Bad Santa, of course, found Billy Bob Thornton in foul-mouthed, lecherous, drunken form as a mangy, moral-free conman who posed as a department store Father Christmas to rob the shops. But then he had to go and befriend one troubled, weirdo kid and the whole thing began to unravel…
Terry Zwigoff wrote the original, which also featured Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Lauren Tom, Lauren Graham, John Ritter and Bernie Mac. While John Requa and Glenn Ficarra were in the directors’ chairs, the sequel has gone through more than one name so far.
Johnny Rosenthal worked on the most recent draft, which Ellin, according to Deadline, is already overhauling. The sticking point might be his schedule, as he’s putting the pieces together for the Entourage movie. If we’re honest, we’d rather have more Bad Santa than the next chapter of Vince and the mooch mob. Thornton certainly seems ready for the next outing, clearing space in his schedule for an autumn shoot.